THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


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By 
W.    P.    JERVIS 

Author  of 

*  THE  ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  CERAMICS,"  "  ROUGH 

NOTES  ON  POTTERY,"  "A  BOOK  OF 

POTTERY  MARKS,"  ETC. 


W.  P.  JERVIS,  OYSTER  BAY,  N.  Y. 

NEW  YORK :   THE   OGORMAN   PUBLISHING  CO.,   76  PARK  PLACE 

Paper  Covers, J|  |  fl      H  $ '  -00 

Copyright.      W.  P.  Jervis,   1911 


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PREFACE 

^pHIS  little  history  of  the  Potters 
Art,  insensibly  grew  during  its 
serial  publication  somewhat  beyond 
the  scope  of  a  Primer,  but  I  have 
ventured  to  retain  the  title,  for  it 
is  only  intended  as  an  incentive  to 
further  research  to  those  who  may 
be  interested  either  in  the  ancient 
history  of  pottery  garnished  from 
the  most  trustworthy  sources,  or  the 
original  matter  first  here  presented. 

IV.  P.  J  ERF  IS. 


B30  Theodore   Deck. 

<      1 


PALISSY   THE   POTTER. 

Courtesy  of  John  Wanamaker,  New  York. 


A  POTTERY  PRIMER. 


-    CHAPTER  I. 

NOMENCLATURE. 

Let  us  first  try  to  understand  some  of  the  more  common 
terms  in  general  use.  First  of  all  comes  pottery.  There  is  a 
regretably  restricted  use  of  this  word,  and  it  is  generally  applied 
to  ware  that  is  opaque,  as  if  that  was  its  sole  meaning. 

It  has  a  much  broader  significance  and  is  properly  applied  to 
any  article  made  of  clay  and  fired,  whether  a  common  sewer  pipe 
or  one  of  those  dainty  Japanese  pieces  of  but  little  more  than  egg- 
shell thickness  and  so  translucent  as  to  be  almost  transparent.  Do 
not  confound  these  two  words,  for  there  is  no  such  thing  as  trans- 
parent pottery. 

The  word  pottery  is  derived  from  the  Latin  word  potum,  a 
cup  or  drinking  vessel,  and  if  it  had  originally  a  specific  meaning 
it  soon  lost  it,  as  words  have  a  habit  of  doing,  and  became  the 
generic  word  for  all  articles  made  of  clay  and  fired.  Consider 
in  this  respect  the  word  potter,  a  worker  in  clay,  and  pottery,  a 
place  where  pottery  is  made.  No  one  would  dream  of  differen- 
tiating these  two  words,  and  they  serve  to  establish  the  truth  of 
our  contention,  if  any  is  needed. 

The  clay  and  other  substances  which  go  to  make  pottery 
are  known  as  the  body,  so  according  to  their  quality  we  have  good 
and  bad  in  a  general  sense ;  soft,  hard  and  artificial,  etc.,  bodies  in 
a  particular  sense.  The  word  body  well  expresses  the  idea,  which 
may  be  and  has  been  carried  further.  The  clay  represents  the 
flesh,  not  sufficient  in  itself,  but  given  the  necessary  strength  by 
the  addition  of  flint,  which  represents  the  "bones,  and  feldspar, 
because  it  flows  through  the  other  parts,  the  blood.  The  Chinese 
had  some  such  idea,  for  they  speak  of  the  glaze  as  the  flesh  and 
the  paste  as  the  bone-  . 

Clay  mixtures  become  pottery  only  after  they  have  been  fired, 
and  if  no  glaze  has  been  applied,  are  then  termed  biscuit. 

Perhaps  the  next  most  important  word  is  porcelain — a  term 
very  much  abused,  especially  in  this  country.  It  is  a  French  word 
used  as  far  back  as  the  Middle  Ages,  but  was  then  applied  only 
to  ?.  shell,  similar  to  mother-of-pearl.  In  the  sixteenth  century 
it  assumed  a  double  meaning,  and  was  extended  to  the  newly  im- 
ported Chinese  pottery,  and  eventually  to  that  of  similar  char- 
acter made  in  France.     So,  while  it  has  no  Oriental  derivation, 


u  N  0  M  E  N  C  L  A  T  U  R  E  . 

it  is  rightly  applied  to  pottery  of  the  same  composition  as  that 
of  China,  France,  Germany,  Austria,  Copenhagen,  etc.  It  is 
called  a  natural  porcelain  because  the  glaze  and  body  are  made  of 
the  natural  materials,  largely  kaolin  or  china  clay  and  petuntse  or 
china  stone.  We  have  used  the  words  kaolin  and  china  clay  as 
synonyms,  but  it  would  be  more  correct  to  speak  of  the  unwashed 
clay  as  kaolin,  and  as  china  clay  after  it  is  washed  and  its  impuri- 
ties removed.  Kaolin  is  a  decomposed  feldspar  derived  from  the 
decomposition  of  granite  rocks. 

In  England  a  more  Oriental  word  was  used  to  designate  the 
English  imitation  of  Oriental  pottery,  and  it  was  called  china, 
from  which  we  get  china  clay,  china  stone,  and  in  Staffordshire 
they  also  speak  of  china  works  to  designate  its  place  of  manufac- 
ture. When  Chinese  porcelain  was  first  introduced  into  Europe 
its  constituent  parts  were  not  known,  and  the  chemists  experi- 
mented with  a  variety  of  materials  in  their  attempts  to  reproduce 
it.  These  bodies  are  classified  as  artificial,  and  as  such  English 
china  ranks.  Later  we  shall  see  when  and  under  what  circum- 
stances European  potters  were  able  to  make  true  porcelain.  Eng- 
lish china  is  also  known  as  bone  china,  because  hones  are  used  to 
give  it  an  added  translucency  and  whiteness.  There  is  another 
point  of  difference  between  porcelain  and  china.  In  the  former 
case  the  ware  need  only  he  fired  the  first  time  hard  enough  to 
give  it  sufficient  strength  to  enable  the  dipper  to  handle  it  with 
safety,  and  it  does  not  receive  its  full  fire  to  insure  vitrification 
until  the  glaze  is  fired.  In  England  the  'body  has  the  hard  fire, 
the  glaze  a  lower  one,  and  in  consequence  the  latter  is  soft  and 
brilliant.  After  being  for  many  years  a  distinctly  English  produc- 
tion, bone  china  has  recently  been  made  in  Sweden,  and,  of  all 
nations  in  the  world.  Japan  is  now  producing  it. 

Having  now  determined  the  meaning  of  the  word  porcelain, 
you  can  judge  for  yourself  as  to  what  a  semi-porcelain  should  be. 
Has  it  a  break  with  an  approach  to  vitrification?  Is  it  trans- 
lucent, or  even  semi-translucent?  If  not  answering  these  condi- 
tions, it  becomes  a  trade  name  only,  and  should  properly  be  classed 
as  earthenware. 

Earthenware  embraces  all  pottery  differing  from  porcelain 
and  china,  whether  a  white  or  colored  'body,  that  is  opaque.  Tiling, 
etc.,  made  of  a  natural  red  clay  is  often  and  properly  called  terra- 
cotta, hut  may  with  equal  propriety  be  called  earthenware. 

Faience  is  an  elastic  word  which  has  been  used  to  apply  to 
almost  anything  except  porcelain.  This  recklessness  in  the  use 
of  the  word  is  to  be  deprecated,  because  we  think  there  is  a  dis- 
tinct kind  of  pottery  which  should  be  so  called,  and  which  no 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER.  13 

other  has  any  claims  to.  We  speak  of  those  wares  which,  to 
hide  the  body,  are  covered  with  an  opaque  white  enamel.  Note 
here  that  a  glaze  is  transparent,  an  enamel  is  opaque.  This  opacity 
is  usually  secured  by  the  use  of  tin  oxide,  hence  the  name  stan- 
niferous enamel.  Our  contention  is  this:  About  the  end  of  the 
sixteenth  century  the  Duke  of  Nivernais  'brought  to  France  a 
number  of  Italian  potters,  one  of  whom,  Scipion  Gambin,  a  native 
of  Faenza,  settled  at  Nevers  and  there  introduced  the  manufac- 
ture of  pottery  coated  with  a  white  stanniferous  enamel,  which 
had  been  known  to  the  Italians  as  early  as  the  fifteenth  century. 
It  was  a  revelation  to  the  French  potter  and  became  known  as 
Faenza  ware,  from  which  the  more  liquid  name  of  faience  was 
evolved-  It  was  a  distinct  characteristic  and  worthy  of  a  distinct 
appellation.  The  Normandy  potters  were  driven  out  of  business 
by  the  growth  in  the  manufacture  of  porcelain  and  the  removal  of 
duty  on  English  earthenware,  with  which  they  could  not  compete. 
This  earthenware  had  a  transparent  glaze  and  in  contradistinc- 
tion to  their  own  faience  with  it  opaque  enamel,  they  called  it,  not 
English  faience,  but  tcrrc-de-pipe,  thus  emphasizing  the  name 
given  to  this  Normany  pottery.  And  as  simplicity  in  nomenclature 
is  most  desirable,  we  think  the  arguments  advanced  demonstrate 
very  clearly  that  our  definition  is  correct  and  should  be  used  only 
when  speaking  of  wares,  such  as  Delft,  (painted  or  otherwise, 
having  a  covering  of  white  enamel.  Majolica  is  very  similar  to 
faience,  having  the  same  white  enamel,  but  the  true  majolica  of 
the  Moors  in  Spain  and  later  in  Italy,  was  enriched  with  iri- 
descent lusters.  The  word  itself  is  derived  from  the  island  of 
Majorca,  where  it  was  supposed  to  have  been  made ;  but  this  is 
not  so,  as  majolica  in  its  original  meaning  was  never  made 
in  Majorca.  Majorca  was  the  port  from  which  the  vessels  sailed 
engaged  in  the  trade  between  the  peninsula  and  Italy,  and  the 
ware  being  carried  in  these  vessels  led  to  its  name,  exactly  as  we 
speak  of  Lowestoft,  because  that  was  the  port  of  entry,  not  be- 
cause it  was  made  there,  for  it  was  not.  The  fact  that  the  word 
in  Italy  has  become  a  generic  one  for  all  glazed  earthenware  need 
not  influence  us,  nor  is  its  application  to  colored  glazes  here  and 
in  England  of  importance,  for  such  ware  is  best  expressed  by  the 
term  colored  glazes,  which  represents  exactly  what  it  expresses. 
If  you  will  fix  these  terms  and  their  meanings  firmly  in  your 
mind,  you  have  already  learned  much.    It  is  worth  recapitulation: 

1.  Pottery  embraces  all  clay  substances  which  have  been  fired. 

2.  Porcelain:  body  and  glaze  of  the  same  substance:  has  a 
vitrified  break  and  is  translucent. 

(a)   English  china  or  artificial  porcelain. 


i4  COMPOSITION    OF    BODIES. 

3.  Earthenware,  opaque  and  not  vitrified. 

(a)   Faience,  opaque,  covered  with  a  tin  enamel. 
I  b)    Majolica,  the  same  with  addition  of  lusters. 

4.  Stoneware,  vitrified  and  opaque. 


CHAPTER  II. 

CLAYS- — COMPOSITION   OF   BODIES. 

Before  seeing  what  part  clays  take  in  the  formation  of  pot- 
tery a  few  words  about  the  clay  itself  may  'be  in  order. 

What  constitutes  a  clay? 

Under  that  general  name  are  included  all  the  rocks  or  nat- 
eral  earths  which,  after  mixture  with  water  form  a  plastic  body; 
and  harden  under  the  influence  of  heat. 

These  clays  are  formed  by  the  decomposition  of  rocks  by 
the  action  of  water,  their  quality  and  nature  depending  not  only 
upon  the  character  of  the  rock,  but  upon  the  proportion  01  pure 
clay  entering  into  their  composition.  Of  these  kaolin  is  the  purest, 
or  rather,  is  the  pure  clay,  and  consists  of  alumina,  silica  and 
water.  Kaolin  is  usually  found  where  the  decomposition  of  the 
rock  has  taken  place  and  then  always  mixed  with  the  rock  debris ; 
but  sometimes  these  beds  have  been  displaced  with  streams  of 
water,  which  carry  the  kaolin  away  until  it  forms  a  sedimentary 
bed.  But  if  the  force  of  the  water  is  sufficiently  strong  the  clay  is 
carried  further  and  in  its  passage  passes  over  sand,  iron,  lime,  etc., 
which  are  carried  along  with  and  mixed  with  it,  so  that  when 
it  is  finally  deposited  a  new  character  has  been  imparted  to  it.  We 
thus  have  sandy,  ferruginous  (iron)  and  calcareous  (lime)  clays, 
all  corresponding  in  a  greater  or  lesser  degree  with  the  two  physi- 
cal properties  named  in  our  definition  of  clay. 

So  we  divide  these  clays  into  two  classes  (1)  kaolin;  (2) 
clays  properly  so  called.  These  latter  are  divided  in  turn  into 
three  divisions:  Refractory,  verifiable  and  fusible,  and  they  in 
turn  have  their  subdivisions. 

Refractory  clays  are  such  as  do  not  show  signs  of  vitrifica- 
tion when  fired  to  porcelain  heat. 

Verifiable  clays  which  become  vitrified  at  the  same  heat.  If 
alkaline  they  are  used  for  the  finer  grades  of  stoneware ;  if  ferru- 
ginous, for  paving  tiles,  brick,  etc. 

Fusible  clays  have  the  appearance  of  crumbling  earth.  They 
vitrify  at  a  low  heat  and  lose  their  shape  when  fired  to  about  1,150 

to    I,200°C. 

The  plasticity  of  clay  is  the  result  of  molecular  attraction  ac- 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER.  15 

centuated  by  the  fact  that  the  grains  are  very  minute  and  in  the 
form  of  laminated  crystals.  By  this  is  understood  that  the  grains 
are  in  scales  or  layers,  lying  one  on  top  of  the  other,  which  allows 
them  to  be  closer  together  than  if  they  were  spherical  or  poly- 
hedral, i.  c.}  with  many  'bases  or  sides. 

By  a  few  examples  we  will  now  see  to  what  extent  clays  en- 
ter into  the  composition  of  pottery- 
Porcelain  body : 

China  clay 37-27 

Quartz  27.35 

Feldspar    35-36 

These  proportions  may  be  varied  form  sixty-five  to  thirty-five 
china  clay ;  forty  to  twenty  feldspar,  and  twenty-five  to  fifteen 
quartz. 

English  bone  china: 

China  clay  20 

Bone   60 

Feldspar 20 

Is  not  the  small  proportion  of  clay  remarkable  in  these  two  mix- 
tures? Sometimes  in  the  latter  the  quantity  of  bones  is  reduced 
and  Cornish  stone  and  flint  added. 

Earthenware  bodies  have  unlimited  variations  ranging  from: 
50  to  60  per  cent,  clay  substances. 
32  to  38  per  cent,  quartz. 
8  to  12  per  cent,  feldspar. 
The  clay  substances   are  usually  china  and  ball  clays  and 
almost  invariably  in  England  Cornish  stone  is  added. 

There  is  the  same  latitude  in  stoneware  clays,  some  requiring 
more,  others  less,  of  foreign  substances. 

M.  Bourry  gives  this  formula  of  a  German  clay  : 
70  stoneware  clay. 
30  China  clay. 
6  feldspar. 
12  flint. 
Fusible  clays  to   retain  their   shape  and  color  are  fired   at 

I,200°C. 

80  red  clay. 

8  china  clay. 

8  flint. 

From  these  formulae  you  will  see  that  in  no  instance  is  the  clay 

itself  sufficient  to  make  good  pottery.     In  the  last  example  the 

clay  alone  loses  its  shape  and  becomes  an  unpleasant  blown  color 

at  a  heat  of  i,200°C,  but  the  addition  of  the  china  clay  not  only 

strengthens  it,  but  preserves  its  color  and  the  flint  reduces  the 


1 6 


P  RE-HI  ST  ORIC    POTTERY 


shrinkage  and  gives  it  sufficient  resistance  to  retain  its  shape  and 
mature  at  this  heat. 


CHAPTER  III. 

PREHISTORIC    POTTERY — THE   DAWN   OF   THE   ART- 
PERSIA CHINA JAPAN. 


-EGYPT — INDIA — 


To  know  and  understand  the  pottery  of  to-day  you  should 
have  more  than  a  rudimentary  knowledge  of  the  pottery  of  the 
past.  It  is  a  delightful  study,  with  romances  to  stir  your  heart. 
with  problems  to  tax  your  knowledge  and  secrets  to  unravel.  It 
-  is  the  oldest  of  the  arts;  it  has  been  the  pastime  of  kings  and 
princes;  the  theme  of  poets;  the  key  to  unlock  the  secrets  of  the 
dead  past ;  the  story  of  the  ages.  It  has  revealed  Egypt,  Babylon 
and  Assyria  in  their  zenith;  recorded  the  rise  and  fall  of  Greece 
and  Rome,  and  shown  us  a  civilization  in  Peru  earlier,  perhaps, 
than  that  of  Egypt.  It  has  forced  recognition  of  the  learning  and 
knowledge  of  the  Chinese  and  shown  us  a  civilization  there  as 
brilliant  as  our  ignorance  was  then  dense,  for  which  we  appar- 
ently have  never  forgiven  them.  Persia  and  India  it  has  illumin- 
ated too  and  we  know  "there  were  giants  in  those  days."  Is  it 
not  wonderful  to  think  that  a  little  piece  of  clay,  scratched  with  a 
few  characters,  lost  for,  not  years,  but  hundreds  of  centuries, 
should  one  day  turn  up  as  legible  as  the  day  it  was  made;  and  be 
the  means  of  settling  some  moot  point  respecting  a  dynasty  but 
dimly  dreamed  of? 

Written  history  only  tells  us  that  the  art  existed  in  prehis- 
toric ages,  in  "the  twilight  of  the  gods."  »  China  claims  for  it  an 
antiquity  of  two  thousand  seven  hundred  years  before  the  present 
era  and  asserts  it  was  first  practised  in  the  days  of  the  enlightened 
Emperor  I  [oang-ti,  who  was  translated  to  the  upper  sphere  on  the 
back  of  a  huge  bewhiskered  dragon.  Chinese  records  show  that 
at  this  time  there  existed  an  official  known  as  the  Intendant  of 
pottery.  Japan  credits  its  origin  to  a  legendary  being  whom  they 
honored  by  the  title  of  Kami,  distinctive  of  diety.    Egypt  to  their 

god  Num,  or  Ptah,  the  creator  of  the  world, 
who  turned  the  clay  of  the  Nile  upon  his 
wheel,  made  man  and  'breathed  into  him  the 
breath  of  life.  Greece  credits  Vulcan,  at  the 
instigation  of  Jupiter,  with  making  out  of  clay, 
Pandora,  the  first  mortal  woman.  Later,  Ker- 
amos  the  son  of  Bacchus  and  Ariadne,  became 
the  patron  saint  of  pottery,  from  which  we  ob- 
tain the  word  ceramic,  or  keramic.     Our  own 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


17 


biblical  legend  makes  God  the  first  potter,  since  he  also  took  dust 
and  made  man.  -^ 

In  the  pottery  of  the  three  nations,  China,  Egypt  and  Greece, 
we  find  marked  characteristics,   China  beauty  of   color,   Egypt,/ 
utility,  and  Greece  the  perfection  of  form. 

But  undoubtedly  the  pottery  of  all  people  had  its  origin  at 
the  time  when  they  emerged  from  savagry  to  barbarism.  This 
presupposes  the  use  of  primitive  tools  and  appliances,  the  desire 
for  necessities  and  the  promptings  of  nature  to  supply  them.  The 
print  of  footsteps  in  clayey  ground,  which  served  to  retain  water ; 
its  subsequent  hardening  by  fire  made  over  it;  the  nest  of  a  bird, 
and  a  hundred  other  causes  may  have  suggested  the  germ  of  the 
idea.  Who  can  tell?  The  methods  employed  varied  considerably 
as  we  know  from  specimens  that  have  withstood  the  ravages  of 
time.  Sometimes  the  piece  was  hollowed  out  from  a  mass  of 
clay;  sometimes  a  basket  was  lined  with  it  and  the  clay,  dried  in 
the  sun,  separated  itself  from  its  mold.'  But  the  more  general 
practice  was  to  take  rolls  of  plastic  clay  and  build  up  the  shape 
desired.  It  was,  at  any  rate,  more  desirable  than  the  other  ; 
means  and  enabled  the  potter  to  make  any  shape  he  desired.  'Then 
some  heaven-born  genius  invented  the  potter's  wheel  and  a  rude 
manufacture  was  transformed  into  an  art.  We  do  not  know 
when,  or  by  whom,  the  wheel  was  invented,  Egypt,  Greece  and 
Japan  all  claiming  it.  We  do  know  that  it  was  used  in  Egypt  four 
thousand  years  ago,  and  that  the  prehistoric  vases  of  Greece  were 
turned  upon  it. 

The  illustration  from  a  tomb  at  Beni  Hassan  shows  the  whole 
process.  Commencing  to  the  left,  the  first  figure  is  shaping  the 
inside  of  the  cup;  the  second  the  outside;  the  third  is  taking  it 
off  the  wheel,  while  the  fourth  is  putting  on  new  clay.  The  fifth 
is  making  a  round  slab  of  clay,  and  the  others  are  preparing  and 
filling  the  furnaces  and  the  last  one  is  carrying  away  the  finished 
product.  The  illustration  shows  the  wheel  in  its  first  stage,  turned 
by  hand. 

Later,  a  driving  wheel 
below  was  added,  turned  by 
the  foot  of  the  potter ;  then 
came  the  foot  treadle,  and 
afterwards  the  connection 
of  the  shaft  by  means  of  a 
rope  with  a  large  driving 
wheel  and  which  remains 
its  approved  form,  although  the  majority  of  those  in  use  to-day 
are  driven  by  steam.    Notice  that  the  thrower  uses  only  the  upper 


i8  EGYPT. 

part  of  the  clay,  a  portion  being  always  left  on  the  wheel  no 
doubt  on  account  of  the  difficulty  in  centering  the  clay  on  a  hand- 
turned  wheel.  In  the  illustration  of  Ptah  you  will  see  a  change 
has  taken  place  in  the  construction  of  the  wheel. 

We  think  it  may  be  conceded  that  the  oldest  existing  example 
of  human  industry  are  specimens  of  pottery  of  a  period  even  an- 
terior to  the  Mint  weapons  of  the  stone  age.  Much  of  it,  crude  as 
it  is,  appeals  strongly  to  our  aesthetic  feeling,  because  there  was  an 
evident  desire  to  make  the  article  accurately  fitted  to  its  purpose 
and  when  this  is  realized  a  certain  grace  of  line  and  proportion 
must  result. 

Of  the  prehistoric  pottery  of  the  va- 
rious races  in  their  earliest  strivings  to 
fill  their  daily  wants  it  is  not  necessary 
to  dwell  at  any  length  and  we  shall  con- 
tent ourselves  with  a  brief  summary.   For 
the    beginning    one    naturally    turns    to 
Egypt,  Babylon  and  Assyria,  because  we 
have  not  only  the  oldest,   but  the  most 
definite  date  to  start  on,  for  be  it  remembered  that  the  catacombs 
of  Thebes  and  Beni-Hassan,  on  the  walls  of  which  are  very  com- 
pletely illustrated  the  processes  of  the  potter's  art  as  then  prac- 
tised, have  been  proved  to  have  existed  nineteen  centuries  before 
the  present  era,  and  it  must  have  existed  long  before  as  shown 
by  the  proficiency  attained.     This  pottery  was  made  usually  of 
red  clay  furnished  by  the  overflowing  of  the  Nile,  and  the  art  at  a 
comparatively  early  stage  attained  its  full  development,   for  the 
Egyptians  had  no  other  clays  from  which  they  could  fashion  finer 
wares  so  as  to  vie  with  precious  metals  and  stones,  and  for  orna- 
mental purposes  clay  was  discarded.    During  the  first  period  natu- 
ral forms  were  closely  followed,  for  having  no  predecessors  the 
Egyptian  potters  had  to  rely  solely  upon  their  creative  ability. 
Afterwards  the  symbolism  of  their  religion  played  an  important 
part  and  we  find  the  scarabaeus,  lotus,  vulture,  etc.,  freely  used. 

Then  metallic  glazes  came  into  use.  These  were  but  rarely 
applied  to  articles  of  utility,  but  almost  entirely  to  ornaments  for 
personal  use  and  for  tiles  for  wall  decorations.  The  colors  were 
mostly  blue  and  green,  made  from  substantially  the  same  bases  as 
are  used  to-day.  The  body  is  mixed  with  sand  showing  that  the 
Egyptians  at  this  early  date  recognized  there  must  be  an  affinity 
between  the  body  and  the  glaze,  for  copper,  the  base  they  used, 
would  not  produce  the  turquoise  blue  on  the  dense  red  body 
previously  used. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


19 


The  tablets  of  pottery  of  Babylon 
and  Assyria,  inscribed  with  records  of 
their  daily  life,  of  their  armies  and  vic- 
tories ;  with  astronomical  observations ; 
of  everything  else  pertaining  to  their 
life  and  country  form  a  magnificent  li- 
brary which  even  now  is  far  from  ex- 
hausted and  which  has  been  the  source 
of  the  bulk  of  our  knowledge  respecting  these  countries  when 
everything  else  failed.  There  was  a  whole  library  of  these  tablets 
in  Babylon  duly  catalogued  in  the  same  imperishable  manner. 

The  Assyrians  probably  discovered  the 
use  of  tin  for  making  white  enamel  and 
certainly  used  it,  though  its  discovery  is 
sometimes  attributed  to  Egypt  on  the 
strength  of  a  small  specimen  in  the  New 
York  Metropolitan  Museum. 

Ancient  Chinese  pottery,  like  that  of 
other  countries,  passed  through  the  usual 
stages  of  sun  dried  and  burned  bricks,  tiles, 
architectural  ornaments,  culinary  utensils 
and  funeral  dishes  and  vases.  It  was  very 
similar  in  character  to  pieces  of  Babylonian 
and  Egyptian  origin. 

Glazes  were  probably  introduced  about 
200  B.  C,  and  to  this  period  belong  the 
pieces  of  a  rich  deep  green  similar  in  color 
to  the  rind  of  a  cucumber,  or  the  surface  of 
the  camelia  leaf,  and  it  apparently  had  a 
great  vogue.  These  pieces  were  archaic  in 
form  and  were  modeled  after  existing  de- 
signs in  bronze.  At  this  early  period  the 
body  was  quite  hard.  The  art  seems  to 
have  been  neglected,  but  was  revived  in 
the  fifth  century,  certain  artisans  coming 
from  the  Indian  frontier  who  introduced 
into  China  new  methods  of  making  colored 
glazes. 

Pottery  was  always  an  important  ad- 
junct to  Chinese  architecture,  tiles  and 
slabs  of  glazed  earthenware,  or  stoneware, 
being  freely  used  both  for  inside  and  ex- 
terior decoration.  The  Porcelain  Tower 
of  Nanking,  no  longer  in  existence,  is  a  well  known  example. 


20 


PERU 


India  can  boast  of  a  respectable  antiquity  for  her  pottery,  as 
Hindu  writings  of  the  ninth  century  before  Christ  make  constant 
mention  of  earthenware  and  specimens  of  red  and  gray  ware,  of 
the  type  usual  to  primitive  nations  over  two  thousand  years  old, 
are  in  existence. 

Persia  also  yields  her  ancient  treasures  as  in  the  ruins  of 
Rhages  small  unglazed  pear-shape  pots  of  a  dense  stoneware 
have  been  found  of  a  date  long  prior  to  the  present  era.  And  on 
the  site  of  Susa,  which  was  destroyed  by  Assurbanupal  641  B.  C, 
glazed  and  unglazed  pottery  has  been  found. 

Japan  borrowed  the  art  from  China.  Except  for  a  single 
reference  referring  to  about  600  B.  C,  we  have  no  reference  to 
pottery  until  29  B.  C.  There  then  lived  in  the  province  of  Ii- 
soumi  a  potter  named  Nomui  No  Sukune.  It  was  then  the  custom 
fur  slaves  to  be  buried  with  their  dead  masters  that  they  might 
not  want  for  attention  in  the  world  beyond.  On  the  death  of 
the  wife  of  the  Emperor  Suinin  this  potter  made  figures  of  clay 
and  induced  the  Emporer  to  bury  them  with  the  Empress  as  sub- 
stitutes for  her  favorite  attendants.  This  led  to  the  abolition  of 
the  cruel  rite  and  as  a  reward  and  distinction  the  potter  was  al- 
lowed to  assume  the  title  of  Haji,  which  signifies  "the  artist  in 
clay." 

This  burying  of  retainers  with  the  dead  was  also  a  Celtic 
custom. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PERU — GREECE- — ROME MURRHINE  VASES. 

Iiefore  coming  to  Greece  and  Rome  let 
us  turn  aside  for  a  moment  and  consider  a 
country  nearer  home — Peru.  And  at  the 
time  we  shall  consider,  Peru  included  not 
only  what  we  now  know  by  that  name,  but 
a  vast  country  besides  extending  over  two 
thousand  miles  south  of  the  equator. 

When  Peruvian  civilization  began  we 
do  not  know,  but  pottery  has  come  down  to 
us  of  so  remote  a  date  as  to  make  the  Incas 
seem  the  children  of  yesterday.  These 
specimens  of  pottery,  from  their  design 
and  finish,  are  evidences  of  a  civilization 
possibly  as  venerable  as  the  lake  dwellings  of  Geneva,  are  of  the 
most  diverse  character  and  in  some  particulars  resemble  Greek 
and   Egyptian   pottery.     Whether   these   are  the   work  of   that 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER 


21 


mysterious  race,  the  Chimu,  or  relics  of  a  still  older  race,  has 
not  as  yet  been  determined. 

The  road  is  open  here  to  connect  these  mysterious  Peruvian 
potters  with  that  equally  mysterious  race  of  our  own  continent, 
the  Mound  Builders  of  Mississippi  and  Ohio.     Many  examples    \ 
of  Mound  Builders'  pottery  show  a  striking  resemblance  to  that 
of  Peru,  though  not  so  well  finished. 

Phoenicia,  which  embraced  the  entire  eastern  shore  of  the 
Mediterranean,  obtained  its  knowledge  of  pottery  from  Egypt 
and  Assyria.  It  was  imitative  rather  than  creative.  Other  arts 
plainly  overshadowed  it.  This  great  trading  and  colonizing  na- 
tion, on  the  one  hand,  gave  Greece  her  alphabet,  on  the  other,  the 
ships  of  Tyre  and  Sidon  reached  the  shores  of  England.  As  to 
pottery,  Greece  certainly  learned  from  both  Phoenicia  and  Egypt, 
but,  young  and  vigorous,  she  rejected  what  did  not  suit  her.  To 
the  Greek,  beauty  of  form  meant  everything;  color,  little  or 
nothing.  This  expression  of  form,  so  perfect  is  it,  has  and  always 
will  remain  a  standard  of  excellence.  In  grace  and  proportion  it 
has  never  been  equalled.  The  potter's  wheel  was  used  at  least 
seven  centuries  before  Christ,  though  the  use  of  molds — made  of 
terra  cotta — was  not  neglected.  More  primitive  pieces  go  back 
at  least  another  two  hundred  years. 

We  are  fortunate  in  the  possession  of  a  wealth  of  specimens 
of  Greek  art,  their  number  in  museums  and  other  collections  be- 
ing computed  at  about  fifty  thousand.  This  is  owing  to  the  fact 
that  they  were  all  found  in  tombs,  it  being  the  custom  to  place 
beside  the  dead  the  vessels  used  in  religious  rites  and  the  favorite 
vases  of  the  owners. 

It  is  not  to  be  presumed  that 
Greek  art,  as  exemplified  in  pottery, 
was  of  spontaneous  growth.  That  was 
gradual  and  sure  from  its  very  com- 
mencement until  it  reached  its  zenith 
in  the  superb  specimens  with  red  fig- 
ures on  black  ground. 

Ordinary  common  clays  were  used, 
but  as  the  art  progressed  and  grew 
more  in  favor  these  were  better  prepared  and  made  more  worthy 
of  the  purpose.  The  earliest  specimens  are  decorated  with  vertical 
lines,  circles  and  bands.  Then  came  animal  and  floral  decora- 
tions, the  drawing  of  rather  a  rude  kind.  Some  of  these  were 
white  on  black,  while  others  have  the  animal  figures  in  dark  lines 


# 


/ 


22 


GREECE 


on  the  red  body.  Figures  in  black  on  red  and  buff  bodies  were 
then  introduced  and  the  vases  are  used  as  the  medium  to  tell  some 
story  of  romance,  history,  or  mythology.  The  flesh  of  the  females 
is  painted  white,  the  drawing  is  stiff  and  constrained  and  occa- 
sionally a  white  slip  underlies  the  black  pigment.  But  in  the 
best  art  of  Greece  the  colors  are  reversed,  there  is  more  life  in 
the  drawing,  the  figures  being  carefully  and  beautifully  drawn 
and  the  whole  is  a  successful  culmination  to  which  previous  ef- 
forts had  led.    From  250  to  200  B.  C.  Greek  art  began  to  decline. 


MIDDLE    PERIOD. 


BEST    PERIOD. 


the  figures  lose  their  graceful  proportion,  the  drapery  is  stiff  and 
the  ornament  overcrowded.  Greek  pottery  entirely  disappeared 
three  or  four  hundred  years  after  the  birth  of  Christ  and  re- 
mained comparatively  unknown  until  the  beginning  of  the 
eighteenth  century. 

The  shapes  were  very  numerous,  the  articles  themselves 
being  intended  for  special  utilitarian  purposes.  These  included 
drinking  cups,  wine  coolers,  vessels  for  holding  foods  and  liquors, 
cooking  vessels,  water  pitchcers,  vases  for  prizes  in  the  Olympian 
games,  footed  plates,  toys  for  children  and  receptacles  for  the 
ashes  of  the  dead.  Many  of  the  vessels  intended  for  food  and 
wine  tapered  to  the  base,  similar  to  the  bottom  of  a  soda  water 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER.  23 

bottle,  so  that  they  could  be  readily  inserted  in  the  sand  of  the 
cellar. 

It  was  the  rule  rather  than  the  exception  for  the  potter  to 
decorate  his  own  product.  Of  many  of  these  we  know  the  names. 
Some  were  potters  only,  some  artists  only ;  a  few  combined  both 
arts,  such  as  Amasis.  Fifty  examples  of  the  work  of  the  potter 
Nicosthenes  are  known.  Cimon  of  Cleonas  (550-500  B.  C.)  is  the 
first  Greek  pottery  painter  we  have  record  of.  The  celebrated 
Phidias,  Polycletes  and  Myron  all  made  designs  for  Greek  pottery 
when  in  its  zenith. 

Quite  apart  from  the  wares  we  have  'briefly  indicated  are  the 
little  Tanagra  figures  in  terra  cotta,  which,  although  roughly  mod- 
eled and  made,  "convey,"  as  Professor  Binns  says,  "in  the  most 
perfect  manner  all  that  is  essential  to  beauty."  They  were  small 
statuettes  of  gods  and  goddesses  and  caricatures  of  public  per- 
sonages, and  were  no  doubt  cherished  as  the  lares  and  penates 
of  the  humbler  householders. 

Roman  pottery,  no  doubt,  passed  through  the  same  elemen- 
tary stages  as  that  of  other  nations,  but  largely  their  inspiration 
was  drawn  from  the  Greeks,  though  as  potters  they  never  equaled 
them.  Distinctively  Roman  are  the  pottery  lamps,  which  from 
the  known  quantity  existing,  must  have  been  used  very  exten- 
sively. They  were  low  'boat  shape,  round  or  oval,  usually  orna- 
mented with  embossed  designs  and  often  bear  the  name  of  the 
maker — one  in  the  Jermyn  Street  Museum  has  eight  burners  and 
formed  to  be  suspended  by  the  aid  of  three  loops.  There  are 
two  kinds  of  Roman  black  ware,  one  in  imitation  of  the  black  of 
Greek  vases,  but  without  its  degree  of  perfection ;  the  other, 
known  as  Upchurch  ware,  from  its  having  been  found  in  the 
neighboring  marshes,  and  dates  from  the  Roman  invasion  of 
England,  first  century  before  Christ  to  about  the  third  century  of 
the  present  era.  The  black  of  this  latter  is  caused  by  the  peculiar 
method  of  firing,  either  by  the  smoke  of  the  kiln  or  the  reduction 
caused  'by  it  of  the  red  to  black  oxide  of  iron.  It  is  often  deco- 
rated with  studdings  of  clay  laid  on  with  more  or  less  regularity. 
Another  style  of  pottery  had  designs  painted  on  the  red  body  with 
white  slip,  the  prototype  of  the  delicate  pate-sur-pate  work  of 
tc-day. 

Much  of  the  interest  connected  with  Roman  pottery  centers 
round  the  slabs  and  tiles  they  used  so  lavishly  <both  for  the  interior 
and  exterior  decoration  of  their  edifices,  though  these  were  no 
doubt  the  work  of  Greek  artists,  the  subjects  almost  invariably 
being  taken  from  Grecian  history.  But  Roman  pottery  is  usually 
associated  with  the  fine  red  Samian  ware,  so-called  because  it 
was  originally  supposed  to  have  been  made  at  Samos,  though  it 


24  M  U  R  R  II  1  N  E     VASES. 

is  now  generally  agreed  that  the  original  place  of  manufacture 
was  Aretium.  The  body  is  a  red  clay  approaching  the  color  of 
sealing  wax,  and  does  not  appear  to  be  entirely  a  natural  clay, 
that  is,  some  substance  was  added  to  it  to  reduce  its  fusibility. 
This  practically  accepted  fact  has  only  been  grudgingly  conceded 
by  ceramic  writers  who  find  it  difficult  to  credit  the  potters  of  the 
Republic  with  this  important  advance  in  the  art.  If  we  take  into 
consideration  the  ability  displayed  'by  the  glass  makers  of  classical 
times,  it  is  only  to  acknowledge  that  they  must  have  been  skilled 
metallurgists,  and  some  of  their  knowledge  may  have  been  placed 
at  the  disposal  of  the  sister  art.  Other  facts  sustain  the  contention 
that  the  body  was  improved  by  artificial  means,  (i)  No  similar 
clay  has  been  found,  and  (2)  wherever  the  conquering  hosts 
of  Rome  went  they  must  have  taken  this  clay  with  them,  speci- 
mens of  it,  and,  more  important,  fragments  of  molds  having  been 
found  both  in  England  and  Germany.  Much  of  this  Samian  ware 
was  quite  plain,  but  a  large  number  of  pieces  have  been  found 
decorated  with  foliage  and  ornament,  scenes  from  the  chase, 
games,  etc.  These  were  invariably  impressed  or  embossed  and 
finished  with  glaze  so  thin  as  to  be  almost  imperceptible,  and 
which  it  has  'been  demonstrated  within  the  last  few  years  was 
formed  by  a  solution  of  borax. 

Some  mention  must  be  made  of  the  Murrhine  vases,  so  often 
alluded  to  by  classical  writers,  although  their  composition  has 
never  been  determined.  They  were  the  priceless  treasures  of 
Caesar,  Pompey  and  Nero,  and  are  confusingly  described  by 
ancient  writers,  some  indicating  a  natural  substance  "extracted 
from  the  earth  and  cut  into  slabs  of  small  size,"  others  as  being 
"baked  in  Parthian  furnaces."  Put  as  no  piece,  however  small, 
is  in  existence  that  can  be  truly  recognized  as  Murrhine,  it 
remains  an  enigma  which  will  probably  never  be  solved.  The 
controversy  as  to  whether  they  were  artificial  or  natural  material 
began  in  the  sixteenth  century  and  has  been  spasmodically  con- 
tinued ever  since.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Patrician 
Petronius  in  "Quo  Vadis"  before  his  death  broke  his  Murrhine 
cup  of  rainbow  brilliancy  so  that  no  other  should  pollute  it  by 
touching  it  with  his  lips. 

The  British  Museum  a  few  years  ago  had  presented  to  it  a 
remarkable  piece  of  Roman  pottery  of  which  we  give  an  illustra- 
tion. It  is  the  oldest  known  example  referring  to  Christianity,  and 
possesses  the  property  that  the  design  appears  only  when  the  dish 
is  filled  with  water.  The  Chinese  have  always  claimed  that  they 
formerly  possessed  this  art,  although  no  specimens  are  known. 
This  remarkable  bowl  has  in  the  interior  an  incised  design  repre- 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER. 


25 


senting  our  Lord  seated,  with 
his  right  hand  extended  and 
wearing  the  cruciferous  nim- 
ibus.  On  either  side  of  the 
head  are  the  busts  of  the  Em- 
peror Constantine  the  Great 
and  the  Empress  Fausta,  and 
round  the  top  is  the  inscrip- 
tion, VAL.  CONSTAN- 
TINVS,  PIVS.  FELIX. 
AVGVSTVS.  CVM.  FLAV. 
MAX.  FAVST,  which  when 
the  bowl  was  perfect  must 
have  begun  with  FLAV  and  ended  with  A  AVGVSTA,  so 
that  it  would  read  "Valerius  Co(n)stantinus  Pius  Felix  Augustus 
cum  Flavia  Maxima  Fausta  Augusta."  The  Empress  Fausta  died 
in  the  year  329  A.  D.,  so  this  bowl  must  'belong  to  early  in  the 
fourth  century.  It  is  also  one  of  the  earliest  examples  in  which 
our  Lord  is  seen  with  a  beard  and  also  one  of  the  first  instances 
of  the  cruciferous  nimbus.  Formerly  there  had  been  no  attempt 
at  portraiture,  the  Saviour  being  regarded  from  an  ideal  point  of 
view,  an  almost  boyish  figure  with  long  hair,  the  type  of  divine 
and  imaging  youth.  We  have  alluded  to  this  as  Roman  pottery, 
but  it  may  be  Egyptian.  From  a  ceramic  standpoint  it  is  a  most 
important  piece  and  has  not  before  been  described  in  this  country. 
A  small  fraction  of  a  si  alb  containing  part  of  the  Lord's 
Prayer  had  up  to  this  time  been  regarded  as  the  earliest  mention 
of  Christianity  in  pottery. 

With  the  fall  of  the  Roman  Empire  the  potters'  art,  which 
had  long  'been  declining,  disappeared,  and  though  to  meet  the 
wants  of  the  people  some  kind  of  pottery  must  have  been  made 
lor  daily  use,  there  is  no  evidence  that  anything  worthy  of  being 
considered  an  art  was  kept  alive. 

This  is  the  first  halting  place  in  the  history  of  pottery  and 
we  have  seen  how  it  was  the  separate  invention  of  three  distinct 
nations,  Egypt,  China  and  Peru,  at  the  beginning  of  their  respect- 
ive civilizations  at  too  remote  an  age  for  us  to  definitely  assign 
a  date.  This  treasure  trove  of  pottery  is  of  immense  value  and 
gives  us  an  insight  into  the  history  of  nations  otherwise  impossi- 
ble to  secure.  Truly,  it  may  be  said  of  the  old  potter  that  he 
builded  better  than  he  knew.  Of  the  existing  Hebrew  manu- 
scripts of  the  Old  Testament  none  dates  from  an  earlier  period 
than  the  Norman  conquest,  and  who  shall  say  what  they  have 
suffered  in  copying  and  translation   from  carelessness  or   igno- 


26  CHINA. 

ranee,  while  the  Assyrian  tablets  and  cylinders  over  three  thou- 
sand years  old  tell  their  story  to-day  exactly  as  they  told  it  when 
drawn  from  the  kiln. 

CHAPTER  V. 

CHINA,   JAPAN,    MODERN   JAPAN,   PERSIA,   RHODIAN. 

Broadly  speaking,  we  have  now  brought  the  history  of  pot- 
tery to  the  commencement  of  the  present  era,  although,  as  was 
inevitable,  it  has  in  one  or  two  instances  overlapped  it  a  little. 

We  shall  next  consider  the  pottery  of  China,  with  special 
reference  to  its  porcelain,  and  shall  embrace  at  the  same  time  the 
ceramic  productions  of  Persia  and  Japan  so  as  to  leave  the  road 
open  for  something  like  a  chronological  review  of  European 
pottery. 

.  Undoubtedly,  Chinese  pottery  presents  the  hardest  problems 
to  solve  that  confront  the  ceramist.  The  complicated  series  of 
marks ;  the  duplication  of  the  triumphs  of  one  dynasty  by  the 
potters  of  the  next,  not  only  'by  native,  but  also  by  Japanese 
artists;  the  curious  figures  of  ornament;  the  diverse  religions 
and  races,  and  the  complicated  written  language,  all  tend  to  make 
the  subject  one  to  be  treated  with  certain  mental  reservations. 

Thanks  to  the  researches  of  the  eminent  Oriental  scholar, 
Dr.  Stephen  W.  Bushell,  the  author  of  "Chinese  Art,"  in  the 
admirable  series  on  ceramics  issued  by  the  South  Kensington 
Museum,  and  his  catalog  of  the  Walters  collection  (1899),  much 
previous  misconception  has  been  removed.  This  last  work  from 
its  high  price  is  not  available  to  the  ordinary  student,  but  Dr. 
Bushell,  in  collaboration  with  W.  F.  Laffan,  cataloged  the 
comprehensive  Morgan  collection  in  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of 
Art,  and  this  is  published  in  a  cheap  form.  A  study  of  the  col- 
lection in  conjunction  with  the  catalog  would  be  in  itself  a  liberal 
education  in  Chinese  ceramics.  Where  there  is  diversity  of  view 
we  have  accepted  that  of  these  two  authors  as  the  last  word  on 
the  subject. 

•  The  Chinese  always  make  a  distinction  between  porcelain 
and  earthen  or  stone  ware,  and  do  not  class  as  porcelain  the  red- 
dish yellow  ware  made  at  Yi-hsing  in  the  reign  of  Ching-te  (1506- 
1521)  or  the  refractory  ibrown  ware  coated  with  colored  glazes 
(Celadon)  known  as  Kuang  Yao. 

At  Khing-te-chen,  the  great  center  of  Chinese  pottery,  a  por- 
celain layer  was  superimposed  on  the  yellowish  gray  stoneware. 
Many  writers  in  alluding  to  this  stoneware  make  use  of  the 
Portuguese  word  boccaro.     This  is  not  correct,  as  the  huccaros 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER.  27 

were  of  Central  American,  not  Chinese,  origin,  and  the  word, 
which  had  been  a  general  one  for  drinking  vessels  in  Portugal, 
was  afterwards  confined  to  the  scented  vessels  from  Chili.  We 
have  no  evidence  in  the  form  of  specimens  of  porcelain  to  confirm 
the  Chinese  written  assertion  that  it  was  first  made  in  China 
during  the  Han  dynasty  (B.  C.  206-A.  D.  25),  nor,  indeed,  for 
long  after  that  period,  and  it  is  open  to  doubt  whether  it  ante- 
dated the  Ming  dynasty  (1363-1643),  though  a  kaolinic  body  had 
undoubtedly   been  made. 

In  the  primitive  period  which  includes  the  Sung  (960-1279) 
and  Yuen  dynasties  (1280-1367)  crackle  glazes  were  perfected, 
some  made  by  Chang  the  Elder  in  the  twelfth  century  having 
crazes  resembling  the  roe  of  a  fish  and  called  by  the  French 
truitee.  (Transformation  flambes,  the  black  enamel  cups  known  as 
Partridge  cups ;  paintings  in  blue  on  white  were  also  made  during 
the  Sung  dynasty,  and  also  the  celebrated  Lung-ch'uan  celadon 
ware,  the  green  porcelain  par  excellence  of  the  Chinese,  the  seiji 
of  the  Japanese.  It  was  brighter  in  tone  than  the  later  sea  green 
celadons  and  the  Chinese  compared  the  color  to  that  of  fresh 
onion  sprouts.  When  Chinese  porcelains  reached  France  the 
potters  there  had  never  conceived  anything  like  the  brilliancy 
of  the  glaze  and  colors  and  were  at  a  loss  for  words  to  decsribe 
them.  A  popular  novel  published  in  1647  (who  knows  that  it 
was  not  a  best  seller  of  the  period?)  had  for  its  central  figure  the 
Bergen  Celadon,  a  fascinating  figure  of  a  group  of  shepherds 
and  shepherdesses  who  disported  themselves  in  an  imaginary 
world  of  love  and  poetry,  dressed  in  silks  and  gossamers  of  such 
tender  hues  that  no  commonplace  colors  could  be  imagined  to 
correspond  with  the  delicate  shades  dreamed  of  by  the  poets.  The 
Chinese  glazes  seemed  to  realize  the  poets'  dream  and  were  so 

called  celadons.  This  at  first 
applied  to  all  colors,  but  has  now 
a  restricted  use,  applying  only 
to  the  gray  or  sea  green  tone. 
The  dynastic  colors  were  of 
great  beauty  and  the  Chinese 
could  find  no  higher  encomium 
for  them  than  to  compare  them 
to  jade.  This  stone  is  held  in  the 
greatest  possible  veneration  by 
the  Chinese.  It  is  a  simile  of  the 
highest  quality  of  virtue  and 
purity  and  is  an  attribute  of 
celadon  cup.  every  meritorious  quality.    Their 


28 


C  II  I  X  A 


name  for  it  is  yu.  It  is  an  extremely  hard  stone,  very  heavy 
and  of  fine  grain,  and  when  polished  has  a  beautiful  waxy  appear- 
ance. It  varies  from  white  to  dark  green,  though  reds  and  blues 
are  spoken  of.  To  achieve  the  appearance  of  jade  in  their  pot- 
tery was  to  obtain  an  expression  of  beauty  beyond  which  it  was 
not  possible  for  the  imagination  to  go. 


CHIEN   LUNG  VASE. 
COURTESY  OF  "KERAMIC  STUDIO. 


During  the  Yuan  dynasty  the  wares  enumerated  above  were 
continued,  but  they  lacked  the  technique  and  finish  of  the  ware 
of  the  previous  dynasty.     It  is  to  the  Ming  period  that  much  of 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER 


29 


the  best  porcelain  that  has  come  to  us  is  usually  ascribed,  owing 
partly  to  the  fact  that  when  the  Chinese  began  exporting  pottery 
they  thought  its  age  would  carry  the  same  added  value  to  us  it 
possessed  for  themselves,  and  the  bulk  of  it  was  therefore  ante- 
dated some  two  hundred  years.  William  F.  Laffan,  in  his  preface 
to  the  catalog  of  the  Morgan  collection,  says :  "Perhaps  the  most 
familiar  date  mark  upon  the  Chinese  porcelain  so  widely  dis- 
tributed in  all  European  countries  in  the  seventeenth  and 
eighteenth  centuries  was  that  of  the  reign  of  Cheng-hua,  1465-87. 
Thousands  and  thousands  of  pieces  of  it  survive,  but  we  have 
never  seen  a  piece  of  porcelain  bearing  the  Cheng-hua  mark  which 
was  made  in  the  reign  of  that  monarch.  We  have  never  seen  a 
piece  bearing  it  that  was  older  than  the  beginning  of  the  reign 
of  K'ang-hsi,   1662- 1722,  but  we  have  seen  a  vast  number  that 


BLUE  HAWTHORN  JAR. 


BOWL  OF  K  ANG-HSI  PERIOD. 


were  even  more  modern."  During  the  reign  of  this  last  monarch 
everything  worthy  of  reproduction  was  counterfeited  in  a  mar- 
velous manner,  and  to  further  complicate  the  situation  must  be 
taken  into  consideration  the  Japanese  reproductions  and  those 
of  the  Chinese  of  later  date. 

There  is  in  the  Morgan  collection  a  white  eggshell  bowl  and 
modeled  in  the  paste  throughout,  tmt  only  visible  in  direct  sun- 
light, are  beautifully  drawn  dragons  amid  cloud  forms  and 
emblems.  The  paste  is  translucent  and  of  exquisite  fineness.  In 
the  disk  inside  is  a  mark  ascribing  it  to  the  period  Yung-lo 
(1403-24").  This  almost  corresponds  with  the  ware  mentioned  by 
several  old  writers,  which  had  the  distinguishing  characteristic 


30  //  .  1  W  T  J I  0  R  .V     PORCELAIN. 

that  the  design  in  the  piece  was  not  seen  until  it  was  filled  with 
a  liquid. 

Mr.  Laffan  further  states:  "The  fine  reds,  the  'Sang  de 
boeufs,'  were  all  -Ming  pieces  and  iby  a  curious  fatuity  were  called 
Lang-yao,  a  family  of  potters  named  Lang  being  created  sponr 
taneously  for  them.  These  last  were  really  K'ang-hsi  (1662- 
1722)  porcelains,  and  were  Lang  pieces  in  good  faith,  having  been 
produced  under  the  prefecture  of  the  great  Lang,  who  gave  so 
great  an  impetus  to  the  art  under  the  protection  of  the  peaceful 
Tartar  monarch."  Many  beautiful  blue  and  white  pieces,  the 
.Mussulman  blue  and  the  five  colored  poreclain,  green,  red,  yellow, 
black  and  blue  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  the  first  four  on  glaze,  the 
blue  on  the  biscuit,*  all  look  their  age;  often  it  is  this  sense  alone 
that  can  determine  the  age  of  a  piece. 

The  blue,  black  and  green  Hawthorn  pieces,  which  are  not 
hawthorn  at  all,  but  the  blossom  of  the  winter  flowering  wild 
plum,  or  wei  flower,  do  not  date  earlier  than  K'ang-hsi,  though 
usually  ascribed  to  the  previous  dynasty.  The  blue  are  the  best 
known,  having  been  made  for  ginger  jars  and  protected  by  a 
netting  of  stout  fiber,  were  used  for  the  exportation  of  ginger. 
The  ground  of  these  is  broken  up  into  an  arbitrary  pattern  known 
as  cracked  ice,  upon  which  is  picked  out  in  the  white  of  the  glazed 
surface  the  flower  decoration.  The  blue  is  of  the  most  lovely 
color.  The  ground  of  the  black  Hawthorns  was  applied  on  the 
glaze,  as  was  also  the  green,  though  at  a  harder  fire.  Sometimes 
when  these  green  pieces  were  not  up  to  the  color  standard  a 
black  ground  was  superimposed  on  it.  These  Hawthorn  pieces 
do  not  date  earlier  than  1662,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  any  pieces  of 
the  black  and  green  were  seen  in  Europe  before  the  nineteenth 
century. 

Chinese  porcelain  has  been  divided  in  groups,  vijz.,  the 
archaic,  the  chrysanthemo-Paeonian,  the  green  and  the  rose ;  the 
celadons,  crackles,  blues  and  white  being  exceptional,  so,  for 
example,  where  green  predominates  in  the  decoration  it  is  re- 
garded as  belonging  to  the  green  family.  The  want  of  knowledge 
at  the  time  this  division  was  made  is,  we  think,  its  only  excuse, 
for  it  has  nothing  in  common  with  ceramics  and  may  safely  be 
discarded. 

The  chrysanthemum  and  peony  were  both  largely  used  and 
the  former  was  frequently  associated  with  the  pheasant,  the  latter 
with  the  fabled  phoenix.  This  association  of  ideas  is  carried  fur- 
ther, mandarin  ducks  being  usually  seen  with  lotus  flowers,  wild 


*  Generally  spoken  of  as  the  five  colors  of  Wan-li    (1573-1619). 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


3i 


geese  with  reeds,  storks  with  peach  blossom  and  deer  and  eagle 
with  pines.  But,  as  we  shall  see  later,  the  group  chrysanthemo- 
Paeonian  really  belongs  to  Japan. 

In  the  K'ang-hsi  period  (1662- 1822)  the  egg  shell  porcelain 
attained  perhaps  its  greatest  perfection.  It  was  usual  to  cover 
the  backs  of  these  pieces  with  a  beautiful  rose  color,  which,  re- 
flected through  the  delicate  paste,  enhanced  their  delicacy.  These 
were  painted  with  the  utmost  care,  with  figure  subjects  of  the 
greatest  variety. 


•  ■ 


BLACK  HAWTHORN  VASE. 


k'ang-hsi  VASE. 


During  this  period  the  painting  was  wonderful  in  its  variety 
and  beauty,  scenes  from  Taoist  mythology,  from  Chinese  history 
and  the  more  subtle  themes  of  the  poets  being  largely  used.  The 
blue  in  many  of  the  pieces  is  what  is  known  as  "powdered  blue," 
that  is,  it  was  blown  on  with  a  rude  atomizer. 

The  Grains  of  Rice  porcelain  was  also  made.  This  consists 
of  piercing  the  porcelain  and  then  filling  up  the  interstices  with 
glaze,  so  that  the  pattern  is  scarcely  noticeable  until  held  to  the 
light. 


Z2CHINESE    PORCELAIN    CHARACTERISTICS. 


In  the  fourth  period  (1723-1795)  the  ingenuity  of  the  Chi- 
nese potter  reached  its  height,  the  reticulated  vases  being  triumphs 
of  workmanship.  Two  vases  of  this  period  in  the  Morgan  collec- 
tion are  elaborately  decorated  with  enamels  and  have  outer  casings 
of  the  body,  pierced  through  with  four  reticulated  panels  of 
foliated  outline.  These  panels  vary  in  design,  the  first  a  plain 
hexagonal  network;  second,  three  clawed  dragons  opposite  a  tiger 
in  a  rocky  landscape,  and  the  other  two  openwork  scrolls  of 
bamboo  and  prunes. 

The  Mandarin  porcelain  which  Jacquemart  erroneously 
ascribed  to  Japan  also  belongs  to  this  period.  They  were  octagonal 
shape  vases,  with  a  cover  surmounted  (by  a  lion,  made  familiar  to 
us  by  the  Dutch  reproductions.  Red  was  the  dominant  color  and 
each  vase  had  eight  panels,  on  which  were  painted  Chinese  public 

functionaries.  The     faces     are 

painted  with  more  care  than  be- 
fore, suggesting  foreign  influence. 
The  dresses  are  that  of  the  period, 
the  most  noticeable  features  being 
the  toque  (a  rolled  up  cap),  the 
short  coat  and  the  pig  tail. 

From  this  period  the  art  grad- 
ually declined  and  practically  came 
to  an  end  with  the  Tae-ping  rebel- 
lion and  the  burning  of  the  great 
pottery  town  of  Khing-te-chen.  This 
has  partially  been  rebuilt.  From 
books  it  is  not  possible  to  gain  much 
idea  of  the  value  of  Chinese  pot- 
tery, but  it  has  two  marked  charac- 
teristics. The  first  is  the  beauty 
and  diversity  of  color,  to  match 
which  we  must  go  to  nature  itself 
for  comparison.  The  other  is  itc 
solidity  and  seriousness.  There  is 
scarcely  a  piece  of  Chinese  pottery  that  will  not  impress  you  with 
this  idea.  It  is  as  if  the  Chinese  potter  had  voiced  the  words  of 
Henry  van  Dyke: 

"This  is  my  work ;  my  blessing,  not  my  doom ; 
Of  all  who  live,  I  am  the  one  by  whom 
This  work  can  best  be  done  in  the  right  way." 
Occasionally  you  may  see  references  to  Chinese  soft  paste  or  pate 
tendre.    There  is  no  such  thing  in  the  European  acceptance  of  the 
term. 


CHIEN   LUNG  VASE. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER.  33 

JAPAN. 

Japanese  pottery  owes  much  to  the  influence  of  Corea  and 
still  more  to  that  of  China.  The  former  seems  to  have  contributed 
only  the  method  of  production,  early  Corean  ware  having  little  to 
distinguish  it  from  other  primitive  wares.  One  of  its  peculiari- 
ties is  that  in  the  foot  of  each  piece  a  small  triangular  piece  is 
cut  out  and  this  is  often  found  in  old  Satsuma  and  other  pottery 
of  Corean  influence. 

In  A.  D.  200  several  Corean  potters  are  known  to  have  set- 
tled in  Japan,  and  in  463  a  further  number  were  brought  by  a 
j  apanese  prince  from  Petsi,  one  of  the  three  kingdoms  into  which 
Corea  was  divided.  They  practically  established  the  pottery  at 
Karatsu  (Hizen)  about  the  end  of  the  seventh  century;  the  Raku 
pottery  at  Kioto  about  1550;  another  at  Seto  about  1590,  and 
somewhat  later  one  at  Hagi.  But  the  most  important  was  the 
one  at  Satsuma,  fostered  by  the  princes  of  that  name. 

Chinese  influence  proved  more  important.  Kato  Shrozaye- 
mon,  known  as  Toshiro,  introducing  stoneware  about  1228  and 
Gerodayn  Shonsui  porcelain  about  15 13. 

From  this  beginning  the  Japanese  made  rapid  advances,  and 
while,  of  course,  for  a  time  Chinese  motifs  were  largely  used,  their 
natural  artistic  temperament  soon  asserted  itself,  and  from  being 
the  scholar  they  came  to  be  the  masters  of  the  Chinese,  duplicating 
nearly  all  of  their  triumphs.  Japanese  pottery  is  primarily  the 
expression  of  individuality,  Chinese  that  of  co-operative  crafts- 
manship, for  in  Japan  the  whole  working  force  of  a  pottery  is 
often  restricted  to  a  single  family,  while  Chinese  pottery,  on  the 
contrary,  represents  the  work  of  many,  even  the  details  of  the 
fainting  being  done  by  a  number  of  artists. 

The  dominant  religion  of  Japan  is  Buddhism,  but  with  the 
exception  of  the  seven  gods  of  Good  Fortune — Riches,  Longevity, 
Daily  Bread,  Contentment,  Learning,  Military  Glory  and  Love — 
depicted  on  their  vases  and  reproduced  in  infinite  variety  as 
statuettes,  it  does  not  figure  largely  on  their  pottery.  Their 
preference  has  been  for  domestic  scenes  when  figures  are  em- 
ployed, but  their  lakes  and  rivers,  their  trees  and  flowers,  inspired 
those  graceful  and  beautiful  creations  which  are  alike  the  envy 
and  despair  of  the  European  potter.  Their  drawings  of  fish  are 
wonderfully  lifelike  and  alive,  though  as  much  cannot  be  said  of 
the  animals.  The  trees  principally  used  are  the  fir,  the  bamboo 
and  the  plum,  which  together  form  an  emblem  of  longevity.  In 
flowers  the  favorite  ones  are  the  chrysanthemums,  peonies,  iris 
and  water  lily.  From  the  prevalence  of  the  first  two  nan^e4  they 
have    been    given    the    distinction    of    a    class    "Chrysanthemo- 


:u  j  A  P  A  tt  ES  E    S  H  A  P  E  S . 

paeonienne,"  and  M.  Jacquemart  described  them  as  Chinese, 
owing  to  their  being  marked  with  Chinese  dates,  although  the 
date  had  passed  away  before  porcelain  was  made  in  Japan.  They 
are  pre-eminent  in  their  representation  of  birds,  the  crane,  another 
emblem  of  longevity,  being  the  most  popular,  though  we  find  also 
eagles,  hawks,  pheasants,  ducks,  domestic  fowl  and  a  variety  of 
small  birds.  Of  monstrous  animals  there  are  the  dragon,  without 
the  imperial  signification  of  the  Chinese,  the  tortoise,  the  kirin 
(the  Chinese  kylin)  and  the  tortoise,  the  emblem  of  Japanese 
Imperial  dignity.  The  badges  of  Japanese  heraldry  are  also  used 
as  ornaments,  including  the  chrysanthemum,  the  badge  of  the 
Emperor,  the  three  leaves  and  flowers  of  the  Paulownia  imperialis 
of  the  Mikado  and  the  three  leaves  and  flowers  of  the  mallow 
within  a  circle,  of  the  Tycoon. 

To  understand  Japanese  shapes  we  must  know  something  as 
to  the  purpose  for  which  the  articles  were  intended.  The  most 
important  are  the  utensils  for  the  tea  ceremony,  or  cha-no-yu. 
Tea  was  introduced  in  Japan  early  in  the  thirteenth  century,  and 
soon  afterwards  the  Shogun  or  Tycoon  introduced  these  tea 
ceremonies.  Rules  for  regulating  them  were  made  during  the 
sixteenth  century  and  the  ceremonies  improved.  To-day  they  are 
simply  friendly  reunions.  The  articles  used  were  a  furnace  for 
heating  water;  a  water  vase  to  hold  water  for  washing  the  uten- 
sil- ;  the  tea  jar;  the  tea  bowl,  and  an  ash  pan.  Simplicity  was  the 
keynote  and  the  quality  of  the  ware  and  glaze  the  indication  of 
value. 

Vessels  for  incense  burning  come  next.  They  were  of  the 
most  diverse  character,  sometimes  taking  the  form  of  men,  ani- 
mals or  birds.  Tor  keeping  the  hands  warm  a  small  earthenware 
brazier  was  used,  somewhat  pear  shaped  in  form.  For  the  writing 
table  there  were  vases  for  holding  and  washing  brushes,  ink- 
stands and  small  vessels  for  water.  These  latter  are  of  various 
forms,  have  a  very  diminutive  spout  to  allow  the  water  to  escape 
drop  by  drop  and  a  small  hole  on  which  to  place  the  finger  to 
regulate  the  flow.  Teapots  are  of  two  forms,  one  like  the 
Kuropean  one,  the  other  with  a  hollow  handle  at  right  angles  with 
the  spout.  Cups  are  of  the  usual  form,  but  without  handles. 
Rower  vases  are  of  various  forms.  Plates  were  invariably  saucer 
shape,  those  with  flat  rims  being  only  made  for  export.  Round 
and  square  bottles  and  jugs  with  spouts  something  like  kettles 
are  made  for  holding  sake,  which  is  usually  drunk  out  of  small 
cups  sometimes  graduated  in  size. 

When  we  commenced  to  import  Japanese  ware,  though  we 
did  not  by  any  means  obtain  their  best,  it  had  at  least  many  char- 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


35 


acteristic  Japanese  features,  which  certainly  cannot  be  said  of 
the  bulk  of  that  received  to-day,  and  nothing  can  be  more  incon- 
gruous than  the  imitations,  not  even  skilfully  done,  of  European 
styles  now  flooding  the  market,  styles,  too,  which  have  in  them- 
selves nothing  to  commend  them.  This  does  not  mean  that  the 
trade  is  restricted  to  these  imitations,  for  many  beautiful  pieces 
can  be  found  in  the  stores  and  at  a  comparatively  small  cost, 
examples  of  the  best  principles  of  decorative  art  and  of  potting. 


INCENSE    BURNER,    SETO    WARE.  INCENSE   BURNER,    SATSUMA    WARE 


In  the  case  of  Japan  it  seemed  best  for  us  to  consider  it? 
pottery  by  provinces,  the  making  of  earthenware  and  porcelain 
being  so  closely  associated  as  to  make  it  difficult  to  trace  the 
progress  of  each  without  going  over  the  ground  for  a  second 
time. 

In  Owari  the  manufacture  of  stoneware  by  Toshiro  was 
continued  by  his  descendants  for  four  generations,  the  ware 
being  known  as  Ki-seto,  ki  meaning  yellow  from  the  color  of  the 
glaze.  In  1801  Kato  Tamikichi  succceeded  in  making  porcelain 
decorated  in  blue  under  the  glaze,  which  is  known  as  Sometsuki, 
the  trade  continuing  to  increase  to  the  present  day. 

Hizen  may  be  considered  the  birthplace  of  Japanese  glazed 
pottery.  The  Karatsu  manufacturers  revived  the  old  Corean 
pottery,  a  painted  variety  being  made  in  1590.  The  manufacture 
declined  about  1730.  Modern  Karatsu  is  a  pale  reddish  brown 
stoneware  with  a  crackle  glaze.  Arita  is  the  most  important  seat 
of  the  industry  and  the  products  are  generally  known  as  Imari 
ware.     Porcelain  was  first  made  here  in   1592  by  Ri-sampei,  a 


36 


KIOTO 


Corean,  and  its  manufacture  increased  and  in  1645  the  exporta- 
tion of  what  is  known  as  "Old  Japan''  commenced.  Tseiji 
Katsuzo  is  a  distinguished  manufacturer  of  the  present  day,  his 
pierced  pieces  being  triumphs  of  craftsmanship.  Imari  ware  is 
familiar  to  us  from  its  brilliancy  of  coloring,  the  disposition  of 
painted  panels  of  irregular  shape  on  a  ground  of  ornament  and 
the  lavish  use  of  diapers.  But  perhaps  most  important  were  those 
pieces  of  white  porcelain,  with  simple  raised  designs,  the  acme 
of  artistic  expression.  It  was  pieces  of  this  description  that 
inspired  Bottger,  and  its  influence  has  affected  the  porcelain  of  all 
countries.  The  Koransha  Company  are  celebrated  manufac- 
turers of  to-day. 


A    KIOTO  THROWER  AT  WORK. 


WATCHING  THE  KILNS. 


In  the  province  of  Idsumo  is  made  the  celebrated  Raku 
ware,  so  much  in  favor  for  tea  ceremonies.  The  word  means 
"enjoyment.'' 

Kioto. — Pottery  was  made  at  Awata  as  early  as  1644-51  by  a 
family  named  Nin  Sei.  The  ware  so  called  was  of  two  kinds,  an 
earthenware  and  a  semi-porcelain.  The  former  is  now*  called 
Awata  ware,  and  the  latter,  which  has  beccome  a  true  porcelain, 
Kiyomidzu  ware.  Awata  ware  up  tor about  1873  was  confined 
s<  >lely  to  light  sketches  of  ceremonial  opera  performances  in  a  few 
rieutral  colors  surrounded  by  a  broad  gold  outline.    Later,  designs 

J 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER.  37 

of  trees,  birds,  flowers  and  landscapes  were  used.  The  glaze  is 
of  a  delicate  yellow  tint.  To-day  the  potteries  are  mostly  turning 
out  wares  for  the  American  market  and  have  lost  their  Japanese 
character.  There  is  also  produced  a  large  quantity  of  imitation 
Satsuma.  There  are  between  twenty  and  thirty  potteries  in  the 
Kioto  district,  the  bulk  of  them  with  six  or  seven  kilns  ranged 
side  by  side.  A  good  idea  of  these  may  be  obtained  from  the  illus- 
tration. Blue  and  white  porcelain  is  also  made  and  some  very 
clever  figures  of  poultry,  etc.  Among  the  potters  who  have  made 
Kioto  famous  are  the  families  of  Dohachi  for  three  generations 
and  Rokubei,  the  fourth  of  that  name,  honorably  maintaining 
their  prestige  at  the  present  day. 

Yeiraku  ware  is  also  made  at  Kioto.  Originally  the  product 
consisted  of  earthenware  braziers,  but  at  the  beginning  of  the 
nineteenth  century  Riosen  commenced  making  porcelain,  repro- 
ducing both  old  Japanese  and  old  Chinese  wares,  especially  the 
Chinese  decoration  consisting  of  coats  of  arms  on  a  red  ground. 
The  Prince  of  Arita  bestowed  on  him  the  title  of  Yeiraku,  from 
which  the  ware  takes  its  name.  Some  of  the  decorations  resemble 
a  rich  brocade. 

Island  of  Awaji. — The  pottery  here  is  a  comparatively  mod- 
ern one  (1840).  The  glaze  is  similar  to  that  of  Awata  ware,  is 
covered  with  a  fine  crackle  and  painted  with  enamels. 

Satsuma  Province. — We  have  already  seen  that  this  was  of 
Corean  origin.  At  first  the  manufacture  consisted  of  a  kind  of 
stoneware  glazed  with  lead  and  iron  oxides.  The  finely  crackled 
ware  dates  from  about  1592,  when  the  Prince  of  Satsuma  brought 
several  Corean  potters  home  with  him  fom  Corea.  They  settled 
first  at  Kagoshima,  afterwards  at  Chiusa  and  eventually  at 
Nawasherogawa,  the  seat  of  the  manufacture  of  Satsuma  ware. 
The  ware  with  a  gold  outline  was  first  made  by  a  Corean  named 
Koyo,  about  1630.  Colored  decorations  were  not  made  much 
before  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century.  In  addition  to  the 
distinctively  Satsuma  ware  of  a  light  buff  with  finely  crackled 
glaze,  there  was  also  used  a  grayish  white  Corean  clay,  which  was 
decorated  by  inlaying  with  it  a  white  clay.  This  was  reproduced 
at  Ota,  near  Yokohama,  by  a  potter  named  Kozan  with  such 
success  that  the  original  Satsuma  ware  lost  its  value.  At  the 
present  day  much  of  the  pottery  sold  as  Satsuma  is  made  here. 

Mizan  of  Satsuma  to-day  produces  pieces  of  exquisite  beauty 
and  extreme  delicacy  of  painting  and  finish. 

Nawasherogawa  is  the  only  place  in  Japan  in  which  a  true 
Corean  kiln  exists.  The  kiln  is  built  on  the  slope  of  a  hill  and 
is  of  peculiar  construction,  differing  from  that  in  Arita  and  other 


38  M  O  DERN    J  A  P  A  N  E  S  E  . 

places.  It  is  built  singly  and  not  in  a  line  as  in  other  factories. 
It  has  a  length  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  feet  and 
a  height  of  five  feet  in  the  center  of  a  vault-like  form.  At  the 
lower  end  of  the  kiln  is  a  furnace,  or,  rather,  the  place  to  com- 
mence the  firing.  The  fuel,  consisting  of  dried  wood,  is  thrown 
directly  into  the  kiln,  the  inside  of  which  communicates  with  the 
outer  air  by  means  of  an  opening  in  the  side  wall.  Saggars  are 
not  used,  and  in  consequence  of  this  and  the  irregular  distribu- 
tion of  heat  throughout  the  kiln,  great  damage  occurs  to  the 
ware. 

The  Corean  potters  number  about  1,500,  and  since  the  estab- 
hshment  of  the  Central  Government  they  enjoy  the  same  rights 
and  liberties  as  other  subjects.  Formerly  they  were  not  allowed 
to  marry  out  of  their  own  nationality. 

Province  of  Kaga. — Kutani  ware  dates  from  the  seventeenth 
century.  Two  clays  are  used,  one  a  dark  red  of  very  uniform 
color  found  in  the  neighborhood,  the  other  a  dark  gray.  Red 
and  gold  in  combination  is  a  favorite  coloring.  A  beautiful  green 
was  made  here,  which  has  recently  been  revived  by  Kechiji 
Watano,  the  same  artist  being  very  successful  in  his  colored 
landscape  designs  after  the  famous  Morikage  style. 

Miyagawa  Kozan,  before  alluded  to,  although  seventy  years 
old,  is  to-day  the  first  potter  of  Japan.  His  transmutation  pieces 
with  beautifully  crystallized  spots  all  over  are  triumphs  of  the 
potters'  art.  His  copies  of  Chinese  glazes  are  wonderful,  and  no 
less  so  are  the  carved  pieces  covered  with  a  combination  of  cela- 
don and  white  glazes. 

Seifer,  a  pupil  of  Dohachi,  whom  he  has  excelled,  continues 
to  produce  pottery  of  the  finest  description,  his  celadon  glaze 
being  unrivalled. 

Kato  Tomatora  of  Tokio  is  another  present  day  potter  of 
note,  many  of  his  works  being  enriched  with  a  special  shade  of 
red  known  as  Katoko. 

Miura  Chikusen,  Kioto,  famous  for  his  blue  and  white,  is 
also  a  literary  man,  and  a  few  years  ago  published  a  book  on 
Chinese  Ceramics.  In  some  of  his  pieces  he  introduces  inlays  of 
coral  and  stone.  Kinkozan  Sobei  of  Awata,  Okumura  Shozan 
and  Kamamura  Suzan  of  Kioto,  Kechiji  Watano  of  Kutani, 
Masatoro  Keida  of  Satsuma  are  all  eminent  potters  of  to-day, 
the  pierced  and  carved  pieces  of  the  latter  being  monuments  of 
artistic  skill  and  patient  craftsmanship. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER.  39 

PERSIA. 

If  we  try  to  chronologically  follow  the  progress  of  the  pot- 
ters' art  we  must  turn  to  Persia  as  being  the  legitimate  successor 
to  Egypt,  Assyria  and  Babylon,  even  if  to  do  so  must  be  done 
through  the  Arabs,  or  Saracens,  as  they  were  called  when  they 
went  to  Europe  to  meet  the  Crusaders  in  Palestine.  From  these 
three  countries  Persia  obtained  her  knowledge  of  processes,  but 
her  art  was  her  own,  and  though  modified  'by  invaders  it  has 
always  reasserted  itself  and  retained  its  distinctive  characteris- 
tics. Persia  no  less  than  China  had  the  faculty  of  assimilating  her 
conquerors  and  the  same  independence  is  notable  in  her  art.  Both 
Chinese  and  Saracenic  influence  was  strongly  felt,  but  were  never 
allowed  to  be  dominant. 

When  the  Arabs  overran  Persia  they  were  captivated  by 
what  they  saw,  and  far  from  attempting  to  destroy  they  adapted 
it  with  such  modifications  as  their  religion  allowed  and  as  Sara- 
cenic ornament  it  was  carried  by  them  to  Africa,  Damascus  and 
to  Europe.  In  no  place  is  there  any  record  of  their  having  intro- 
duced the  making  of  pottery ;  what  they  did  was  to  impress  their 
superior  art  on  what  they  found.  Saracenic  pottery  then  is  no 
more  than  Persian  modified  'by  Arabian  style.  Among  the  earlier 
evidences  of  this  are  the  tiles  with  which  the  domes  and 
walls  of  mosques  were  covered,  in  which  the  influence  of  the  new 
religion  is  apparent.  Some  of  these  have  a  metallic  luster  gen- 
erally known  as  reflets  metalliques.  This  process  was  certainly 
known  to  the  Persians  six  or  seven  hundred  years  ago,  and  pos- 
sibly two  thousand,  fragments  having  'been  found  in  the  ruins  of 
Rhages.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  this  art  became  lost  in  Persia 
in  the  fourteenth  century,  it  having  in  the  meantime  been  carried 
into  Spain  by  the  Moors,  where  it  again  disappeared,  only  to 
reappear  again  in  Italy  in  the  seventeenth  century,  where  it  was 
finally  lost,  until  the  efforts  of  Ginori  were  rewarded  by  success 
late  in  the  last  century. 

There  was  an  early  interchange  of  both  workmen  and  pottery 
between  China  and  Persia  and  one  probably  gave  as  much  as  the 
other.  Many  Chinese  pieces  undoubtedly  show  the  influence  of 
Persian  art,  even  if  not  made  by  Persian  workmen  in  China.  A 
good  example  of  this  is  the  Aster  pattern.  The  "Grains  of  Rice" 
porcelain  has  been  by  some  writers  identified  with  the  Gombron 
ware  of  Horace  Walpole,  as  being  of  Persian  make,  but  both 
inferences  are  undoubtedly  incorrect.  All  the  known  specimens 
are  undeniably  either  Chinese  or  Japanese  porcelain,  and  "Gom- 
bron," which  for  a  long  time  puzzled  ceramists  as  to  its  meaning, 
is  a  port  on  the  Persian  Gulf.    It  was  acquired  by  the  East  India 


40 


G O M B R O N    WARE 


Company  in  1623,  it  being  the  port  where  for  centuries  the  mer- 
chandise of  China,  India  and  Persia  had  been  centralized.  It  was 
then  the  English  custom  to  designate  wares  by  the  name  of  the 
port  from  which  they  were  shipped,  and  in  some  instances  Gom- 
bron  seems  to  have  been  used  in  a  generic  sense,  while  in  other 
cases  a  distinction  is  drawn  between  "Green  Gombron"  and 
"China,"  a  word  usd  to  designate  blue  and  white  painted  ware. 
Anyway  the  term  is  a  useless  one  and  may  well  be  allowed  to  be 
relegated  to  innocuous  desuetude. 

It  has  always  been  a  disputed  point  as  to  whether  true  por- 
celain was  ever  made  in  Persia.  A  translucent  ware  was  made, 
but  the  best  authority  we  can  find,  Major  R.  Murdoch  Smith,  in 


*PERSIAN   TILES. 


"Persian  Art,"  is  decidedly  of  opinion  that  it  does  not  answer  to 
the  true  definition  of  porcelain,  inasmuch  as  it  has  not  a  vitreous 
break,  but  that  the  paste  is,  on  the  contrary,  "porous  or  spongy 
and  essentially  earthenware."  Chinese  pottery  was  imitated, 
including  the  marks,  and  we  know  that  in  the  seventeenth  century 
Persian  pottery  was  one  of  the  principal  articles  exported  to  India 
and  to  Holland.  Chardin  relates  that  the  Dutch  sold  this  pottery 
to  other  European  countries  as  Chinese,  so  that  the  manufacture 
must  have  been  an  important  one  in  Persia  at  that  time.  It  also 
helps  to  explain  the  presence  of  the  numerous  pieces  of  Chinese 
character  found  in  that  country. 

Persian  designs  were  excellent,  ranging  from  intricate  lace- 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


41 


RHODIAN  PLACQUE. 


like  patterns  to  conven- 
tional flowers  on  which 

the    rose    and   carnation 

predominated.     On  even 

the     commonest     pieces 

the     utmost     skill     was 

lavished  to  render  them 

veritable    works   of    art. 

The  articles  made  were 

nearly  all  pieces  for  use 

and  consisted  largely  of 

b  p  w  1  s      for      sherbets 

dishes    for    rice,    plates, 

water  bottles,  etc. 

Imitations  of  Chinese 

celadon   were    made   on 

a   coarse   body,    for  the 

Persian  in  his  art,  as  in 

his  daily  life,  thinks  only  of  outside  appearance,  caring  little  for 

what  is  not  seen.     A  general  idea  of  the  style  will  be  obtained 

from  the  illustrations.  '  Where  a 
colored  clay  is  used  it  is  gener- 
ally covered  with  a  white  flinty 
covering,  very  similar  in  appear- 
ance to  a  tin  enamel.  The  color- 
ing was  extremely  brilliant,  the 
best  colors  being  blue,  tur- 
quoise, green  and  a  peculiar  red, 
like  sealing  wax,  seen  only  on 
pieces  made  on  the  island  of 
Rhodes,  where  the  art  was  un- 
doubtedly carried  by  Persian 
workmen.  The  art  declined 
about  the  time  of  Shah  Abbas  II 
(1586-1628)  and  little  of  mo- 
ment is  made  there  now 

Tiles  of  large  size  dating  from 
1072  were  made  for  ornamental 
tombstones  and  for  embellishing 
the  walls  of  mosques  and  other 
sacred  buildings.     As  these  are 

shrine  of  iman  hussein  at      closed  to   Europeans,   specimens 

kerbela.  are  very  rare,  and  what  there  are 

(Showing   use  of   tiles.)  must    have    b;en    obtained    by 


42  METALLIC     LUSTERS. 

stealth.  Some  of  these  have  verses  from  the  Koran,  others  in- 
scriptions of  a  monumental  character.  Walls  and  floor  tiles  are 
still  made  at  Teheran  and  other  places. 

The  illustration  showing  the  Holy  Shrine  at  Kerbela  is  from 
a  photograph  in  the  South  Kensington  Museum,  the  only  one  in 
existence  except  those  owned  by  the  Shah. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

JUSTA    AND    RUFINA.  HISPANO-MORESQUE.  NOBLE    BUCCAROS. 

LUCCA  BELLA  ROBBIA.     THE   ITALIAN   RENAISSANCE.     GRAFFITO 
TIN  ENAMEL  IN   GERMANY. 

It  is  not  possible  to  trace  the  progress  of  pottery  in  a  direct 
line,  for  one  may  well  assume  that  even  when  the  art,  made 
famous  by  some  national  exponent  died,  some  remnant  or  tradi- 
tion of  it  must  have  remained  to  blossom  into  newness  of  life  in 
some  unexpected  place.    But  the  important  link  which  connected 

Europe  with  Persia  and  Africa  is 
plainly  visible.  The  Moors  ob- 
tained their  knowledge  and 
largely  adopted  the  style  of  the 
Saracenic  potters.  Where  Af- 
rican pottery  was  made  we  have 
not  much  data,  except  that  it 
flourished  at  Bagdad  in  the  ninth 
century  and  at  Cairo  in  the 
eleventh,  contemporary  writings 
stating  that  "there  were  then 
produced  at  Mise  (Cairo)  trans- 
lucent vases  of  a  hue  which 
changed  according  to  the  posi- 
tions given  them,"  alluding  no 
doubt  to  the  reflects  metailliques 
of  the  Persians.  From  Africa 
the  art  was  carried  to  Spain.  In 
this  country,  under  the  dominion 
of  Rome,  the  Spaniards  had  ac- 
quired a  certain  proficiency  in 
pottery  and  there  is  a  curious 
legend  handed  down  to  us  by  the 
Roman  Church  of  the  time  we 
mention,    early    in    the    fourth 


J  USTA    AND   RUFINA. 

From  the  painting  by  Goyo 
(died  1828)  r 


A   pottery  PriMer 


43 


century.  At  Seville  there  was  a  potter  whose  chief  product  seems 
to  have  been  alcarazzas  or  water  coolers.  His  two  daughters, 
Justa  and  Rufina,  had  been  converted  to  Christianity,  the  follow- 
ers of  which  were  much  persecuted  at  the  time.  To  be  a  Chris- 
tian was  just  about  equal  to  signing  your  death  warrant.  Being 
suspected,  these  two  girls  were  ordered  to  provide  alcarazzas  for 
the  shrine  of  Venus  and  to  worship  at  the  same.  They  steadfastly 
refused,  strong  in  their  newly  found  faith,  were  arrested  ana 
placed  on  the  rack.  As  an  additional  incentive  to  their  conver- 
sion to  the  old  faith  their  sides  were  pierced  with  iron  hooks.  But 
they  steadfastly  refused  to  recant  and  won  their  martyrs'  crown, 
Justa  expiring  on  the  rack,  while  Rufina's  sufferings  were  ended  by 

strangulation  by  order  of  the 
judge.  Their  bodies  were  then 
burned.  Afterwards  they  were 
canonized  by  the  church,  and 
in  Christian  art  the  alcarazza 
became  the  emblem  of  the  two 
patron  saints  of  Seville.  These 
water  jars  are  now  known  in 
Spain  as  bucarro. 

The  Arabs  in  their  victor- 
ious march  of  conquest  con-- 
quered  Spain  in  the  eighth  cen- 
tury, and  it  is  very  remarkable 
that  no  specimens  of  pottery  that 
can  be  definitely  assigned  to 
them  are  known.  Five  hundred 
years  later,  A.  D.  1235,  the 
Arabs  were  expelled  by  the 
Moors,  the  kingdom  of  Granada  was  formed  and  the  Alhambra 
was  built  (1237).  The  Moors  were  not,  however,  left  in  undis- 
pnted  possession,  for  James  I  of  Aragon  conquered  Majorca  in 
1238  and  extended  his  conquest  the  same  year  to  the  city  of 
Valencia.  In  1251  he  granted  a  charter  to  the  Moorish  potters 
to  continue  their  work  there  on  payment  of  a 'small  annual  sum. 

The  Alhambra  furnishes  us  with  about  the  only  examples  of  J* 
pottery  of  that  period,  the  lavish  tile  work. and  the  Alhambra 
vase.     Upon  their  advent  in  Spain  the  Moors  found  a  plentiful 
supply  of  tin  and  they  abandoned  the  silicious  covering  they  had 
previously  used  on  their  pottery  and  substituted  a  tin  enamel. 


THE  ALHAMBRA  VASE. 


DISH   WITH   ARMS  OF  BLANCHE,  QUEEN 
OF  NAVARRE,  VALENCIA  (1419-I441). 


44  HiSPAtiO-MORESQVE. 

The  illustration  will  give  a  good  idea  of  the  Alhambra  vase.  The 
decoration  is  in  a  pure  blue  enamel  on  a  white  ground,  with  a 

gold    luster    over     the 
whole.     Three  of  these 
vases   were   found   in   a 
garden    at    the    Adares, 
fi.  1 1  e  d     with     treasure. 
Two  of  them  were  un- 
fortunately  broken   and 
the  pieces  carried  away 
by     relic     hunters,     s  o 
means  were  then  taken 
to  preserve  the  remain- 
ing one.     This  vase  was 
probably     made      about 
the  middle  of  the  four- 
teenth century.      It   has 
been       reproduced       at 
Sevres,      by      Theodore 
Deck,  and  by  Gomez  of 
Triana,      near      Seville. 
The  production  of  these  lustered  pieces  by  the  Moors  con- 
tinued to  progress,  potteries  were  established  at  Malaga,  Bar- 
celona and  Valentia.     The  latter  progressed  coincident  with  the 
deterioration  of  Malaga,  while  that  of  Barcelona  was  not  import- 
tant.    The  ware  gradually  lost  its  distinctive  Moorish  character, 
the  lusters  became  more  brilliant  and  consequently  less  pleasing, 
until  they  degenerated  into  a  ruddy  copper,  and  their  lack  of 
restraint  marks  the  decline  of  Hispano-Moresque  art.     With  the 
conquest  of  the  Moors  by  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  and  their  sub- 
sequent expulsion  by  Philip  III,  with  the  issuing  of  an  edict  in 
1566  forbiding  the  use  of  Moorish  ornament  in  decoration,  came 
the  collapse  of  the  potters'  art  in  Spain.    This  proved,  if  anything 
was  needed,  that  it  was  entirely  a  foreign  art  and  had  no  native 
characteristics. 

We  have  not  as  yet  alluded  to  the  island  of  Majorca,  usually 
thought  to  be  the  third  great  center  of  Hispano-Moresque  pottery, 
and  the  place  which  is  supposed  to  have  given  it  its  distinctive 
appellation,  Majolica,  or  Maiolica.  No  pottery  at  all  correspond- 
ing to  what  we  are  writing  about  was  ever  made  there.  Situated 
midway  between  Spain  and  Italy,  it  was  the  port  from  which  the 
vessels  that  conducted  the  traffic  between  the  two  countries  sailed. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER. 


45 


So  when  the  Italians  received  these  specimens  of  pottery,  brought 
to  them  on  Majorcan  vessels,  they  naturally  thought  them  of 
Majorcan  origin  and  may  have  been  encouraged  in  this  belief,  for 
it  was  probably  a  profitable  trade  and  the  Majorcan  would  not  be 
very  anxious  to  acknowledge  the  source  of  supply.  We  have  not 
space  here  to  go  thoroughly  into  the  question,  but  those  who  are 
interested  should  read  "Hispano-Moresque  Ware  of  the  XV  Cen- 
tury," by  A.  van  de  Put,  published  by  John  Lane. 

The  distinctive  Moorish  character  of  this  Hispano-Moresque 
ware  gradually  disappeared  as  it  came  more  in  contact  with 
Christian  art  and  in  the  fifteenth  century,  of  which  we  have  the 
most  examples,  it  consisted  of  decorations  of  mock  Arabic  char- 
acters and  borders  and  diapers  of  leaves,  principally  of  the  vine 
and  briony.  To  this  exception  must  be  made  to  tiles  or  ajulejos, 
which  retained  their  Moorish  character,  and  some  beautiful  speci- 
mens of  which  adorn  the  Alhambra  and  the  buildings  of  Seville 
and  Granada.  These  tiles  seem  to  be  about  the  only  articles  of 
utility  made  by  the  Moors,  the  great  bulk  of  the  production  being 
large-  dishes  for  purely  ornamental  purposes. 

One  searches  in  vain  for  evidences  of  a  native  art  in  Spain. 
It  could  have  been  dismissed  in  a  paragraph  had  it  not  been  that 

it  was  the  stepping  stone 
in  jflfftiMffniMii  between  Moorish  art  and 

the  renaissance  in  Italy. 
Simply  on  account 
of  its  geographical  posi- 
tion, for  it  has  never  had 
any  influence  on  cera- 
mics, a  passing  mention 
of  the  buccaros  of  Por- 
tugal may  be  convem 
ently  made  here.  During 
the  sixteenth  century 
the  Portuguese  imported 
from  the  heart  of  Cen- 
tral America  large  quan- 
tities of  pottery,  the  clay 
of  which  was  impreg- 
nated with  a  strong  but 
delicate  perfume,  which 
communicated  itself 
to  any  liquid  placed  therein  and  which  became  known  as  "Noble 
Buccaros."      These    were    extremely    diversified    in    shape    and 


Hy 


DISH   WITH   ARMS  OF   MARY,   CONSORT 
OF  ALFONSO   V.    OF   ARAGON. 


NOBLE      B  U  C  C  A  R  0  S. 

many  of  them  of  such  fantastic  design  as  to  have  no  parallel 
in  existing  pottery.  The  secret  of  their  source  was  long  kept  by 
the  Portuguese.  They  became  the  rage  in  Spain  and  Portugal 
and  miraculous  properties  were  invented  for  them.  Small  pieces 
were  taken  as  a  preventive  of  certain  illnesses.  Buccaro  eating 
became  the  fashionable  vice  and  there  is  recorded  an  instance  of  a 
lady  eating  a  whole  cup  and  saucer. 

This  scented  pottery  was  reproduced  in  Portugal,  the  best 
being  made  at  Lisbon,  those  of  the  manufacture  Delia  Maya  being 
most  in  request.  Small  pieces  of  buocaros,  so  costly  had  it  become, 
were  set  by  the  jewelers  in  gold  and  silver  and  they  commanded  a 
large  sale.  But,  after  all,  the  perfume  must  have  been  evanescent, 
for  though  we  have  old  pottery  corresponding  in  every  particu- 
lar with  the  descriptions  of  old  writers,  not  one  solitary  example 
of  a  Buccaro  can  we  definitely  recognize  as  such. 

We  have  seen  that  the  pottery  credited  to  Majorca  was  in 
reality  made  in  Spain  and  that  the  large  number  of  pieces  found 
in  Italy  are  in  reality  Hispano-Moresque.  It  was  nearly  a  hun- 
dred years  from  the  time  Malaga  was  in  its  zenith  that  Lucca  della 
Robbia  produced  his  first  piece  of  white  (A.  D.  1440)  or  stan- 
ifferous  enamel  in  Italy.  This  may  have  been  an  independent 
invention,  though  it  is  probable  that  the  Spanish  pottery  was  not 
unknown  to  him,  or  even  some  potter  from  Spain  may  have  given 
him  a  hint.  He  was  but  about  thirty-five  years  of  age  at  the  time, 
was  a  sculptor,  not  a  potter,  by  profession,  and  if  he  discovered 
the  glaze  mixture,  made  a  body  on  which  it  would  fire  evenly  and 
fixed  the  point  of  firing  to  obtain  such  good  results  as  his  works 
show,  it  says  much  for  his  industry  and  perspicuity.  Whether 
this  is  so  or  not  is  not  material,  but  he  is  certainly  to  be  credited 
with  paving  the  way  for  those  later  triumphs  in  ceramics  which 
culminated  in  the  period  from  1480  to  1530. 

Lucca's  bas-relief  of  "The  Singing  Boys"  had  brought  him 
fame  and  with  it  a  multiplicity  of  orders.  Copies  of  his  work  by 
others  did  not  keep  pace  with  the  demand,  so  he  hit  on  the  expe- 
dient of  working  in  clay  and  the  resultant  discovery  of  tin  enamel 
enabled  him  to  produce  as  many  copies  as  he  wished.  His  first 
work  in  pottery  was  a  bas-relief  of  the  Resurrection,  which  can 
still  be  seen  in  the  cathedral  at  Florence.  In  addition  to  his  works 
in  relief  he  also  painted  on  the  flat,  twelve  placques  representing 
the  months  being  good  examples  of  this  work.  His  modeled  pieces 
are  highly  esteemed,  being  very  beautiful  both  in  design  and 
execution  and  characterized  by  simplicity  of  treatment.  The  color- 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER 


47 


ing  was  usually  confined  to  blue  and  white,  but  occasionally  a  little 
green  and  yellow  were  used.  At  his  death  in  1481  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  nephew,  Andrea,  who  at  his  death  in  1528  was 
succeeded  by  his  four  sons.  But  neither  the  art  of  Andrea  or  his 
four  sons  was  equal  to  that  of  Lucca.     The  style  passed  away  in 

the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth 
century.  Nearly  all  of  Lucca 
della  Robbia's  works  have 
been  reproduced  of  late  years 
and  many  of  them  are  excel- 
lent. 

Already  some  strides  had 
been   made   in    Italy   prior   to 
Robbia's     invention.      Castel- 
Durante  is  on  record  as  mak- 
ing  pottery    in    1361,    though 
there  are  no  known  examples  ; 
Pesaro   in    1450,   and   Faenza 
prior  to   1475,  there   being  a 
Faenza  dish  in  the  Musee  de 
painted  placque,  22^   inches     Quny  bearing   that   date,   six 
in  diameter,  by  lucca  della     years  before  Lucca  della  Rob- 
robbia.  bia  died.     It  was  a  time  when 

men's  souls  were  awakening 
from  the  oblivion  of  centuries,  the  tide  of  the  renaissance  was  be- 
ginning to  flow,  the  some  time  neglected  enamel  was  remembered, 
and  many  artists  saw  in  it  imperishability  for  their  work  and  seized 
on  it  with  avidity.  The  great  reigning  princes  of  Urbino  (the 
birthplace  of  Raphael),  of  Pesaro  and  Florence,  the  Montefeltros, 
the  Sforza,  the  Medici  and  the  Fontanos  united  in  extending  to  it 
their  patronage.  A  successful  potter  was  created  a  Maestro,  he 
v:as  the  social  equal  of  princes.  There  were  half  a  dozen  or  more 
centers  where  the  art  flourished,  each  as  great  as  the  other.  They 
came  into  existence  a  few  years  apart,  from  1477  to  1524;  they 
reached  their  zenith  but  a  few7  years  later,  a  decline  in  the  art 
being  noticeable  after  1560.  There  is  a  strong  family  likeness 
in  this  Italian  painted  pottery  and  it  has  been  found  difficult  to 
assign  dates  and  locality  to  many  pieces  which  have  no  marks 
But  few  articles  of  utility  were  made,  most  of  them  being  entirely 
for  decorative  purposes  and  the  adornment  of  houses  and  palaces. 
The  greatest  artists  of  the  times  made  designs  for  this  pottery, 
including  the  great  Raphael.  An  exception  to  this  is  the  phar- 
macy jars,  of  which  large  numbers  were  made.  They  are  usually 
divided   in   four  sections,   painted  mostly  in   yellow  on  a  blue 


48  V  R  B  I  N  O  . 

ground,  a  head  or  medallion  on  one  side,  under  which  is  the  name 
of  the  drug  in  gothic  lettering  on  a  ribbon. 

There  were  no  large  manufactories  as  we  understand  such 
to-day.  A  man  embarked  in  the  pottery  trade,  established  his 
botega — a  compromise  between  a  factory  and  a  studio — and  em- 
ployed the  best  artists  he  could  to  do  the  painting,  without  his 
being  permanently  attached  to  the  staff.  Other  botegas  were 
attached  to  the  courts  and  castles  of  princes  and  nobles,  producing 
work  only  for  their  patrons.  Again,  artists  purchased  the  ware, 
deepxated  it  and  disposed  of  it  as  they  could. 

At  first  the  range  of  colors  was  very  limited  and  many  of  the 
pieces  have  a  sickly  appearance,  yellow  being  used  for  flesh  tints. 
( )riginally  the  colors  were  painted  on  the  unfired  enamel,  a  process 
which  necessitated  quick  manipulation,  and  as  both  enamel  and 
color  were  fired  at  the  same  time,  very  soft  and  harmonious  re- 
sults were  obtained. 

We  have  spoken  of  the  princely  patronage  accorded  to  the 
Italian  potters  who,  by  their  financial  aid  and  appreciation,  did 
so  much  in  the  cause  of  art.  Let  us  see  what  part  it  played  in  the 
Duchy  of  Urbino,  which  embraced  Pesaro,  Castle-Durant,  Urbino 
and  Gubbio.  At  Pesaro,  according  to  Passed,  who  was  born  there 
and  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  much  information  about  Italian 
pottery,  Majolica  was  made  there  as  early  as  1462.  In  i486  and 
1508  the  Sforza  family  interested  themselves  in  the  pottery,  for 
in  those  years  edicts  were  passed  against  the  importation  of 
earthenware  into  Pesaro.  These  measures  were  commemorated 
by  a  placque  with  portraits  of  Giovanni  Sforza  and  his  mother, 
Camilla,  with  a  scroll  representing  the  edict  as  a  background. 
Ths  decoration  is  in  blue,  enriched  with  ruby  and  gold  lusters. 
Rut  it  was  Duke  Guidobaldo  II  who  came  to  the  Duchy  of  Urbino 
U1  1538,  who  raised  it  to  the  rank  it  afterwards  attained.  It  wa.s 
Pesaro  that  first  produced  pottery  with  portraits  and  amatory 
devices  (amatorii)  which  possess  so  much  value  as  records  of 
costumes  of  the  day.  At  Urbina  this  same  duke  raised  the  art 
from  comparative  insignificance  to  the  very  front  rank,  its  pro- 
ductions being  considered  the  most  artistic  and  most  remarkable 
product  of  the  sixteenth  century.  They  were  considered  fit  pres- 
ents to  send  to  foreign  potentates.  Three  celebrated  artists  con- 
tributed much  to  its  success,  Guido  Fontano,  his  son,  Orazio,  and 
Francisco  Xanto  Avelli  da  Rovigo,  known  as  Xanto.  Guido 
Fontano  was  the  first  to  cover  the  whole  of  the  piece  with  deco- 
ration without  regard  to  its  form,  a  fault  somewhat  redeemed  by 
his  brilliant  coloring  and  faultless  execution.  Xanto's  produc- 
tions were  mostly  in  the  nature  of  compositions  arranged  from 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


49 


engravings  after  Raphael.  There  is  a  great  diversity  of  opinion 
as  to  his  ability  as  an  artist,  some  critics  defending,  others  con- 
demning him  for  his  monotonous  and  mechanical  work.  The  best 
known  work  of  Urbino  is  the  series  of  380  vases,  etc.,  made  bv 
order  of  Guidobaldo  II  and  now  in  the  Santa  Casa  of  Loretto. 
Louis  XIV  offered  for  the  figures  of  the  four  evangelists  and  St. 
Paul  an  equal  number  of  statues  in  gold.  These  magnificent  vases 
were  mostly  painted  by  the  Fontano  family,  though  other  well 
known  artists  were  employed.  The  remainder  of  the  duke's  col- 
lection passed  to  the  Medici  and  is  now  in  the  museum  at 
Florence. 


CASTEL-DURANTE   PLACQUE. 


GUBBIO    PLACQUE    (About    1518) . 


Gubbio,  too,  was  under  ducal  patronage  and  Giorgio  Andreoli, 
better  known  as  Maestro  Giorgio,  has  rendered  it  immortal.  He 
was  not  only  a  painter,  but  a  sculptor,  and  executed  considerable- 
work  in  the  style  of  Lucca  della  Robbia.  His  work  consisted  of 
foliated  scrolls  and  other  ornaments  terminating  in  dolphins, 
eagles,  etc.,  showing  much  skill  and  inventive  power,  enclosing 
figure  subjects,  coats  of  arms,  etc.  His  lusters  were  unapproach- 
able and  it  shows  much  for  his  devotion  to  his  art  that  he  con- 
sented to  enrich  the  works  of  his  contemporaries  by  the  applica- 
tion of  his  inimitable  lusters.  The  title  of  Maestro  was  coveted 
made  precious  and  not  lightly  bestowed, 
•and  esteemed  as  highly  as  nobility,  it  was  a  Legion  of  Honor 

Castel-Durant  is  a  small  town  near  Urbino.  Among  its 
products  were  pharmacy  jars,  decorated  with  grotesques  on  a 
black  ground.    Its  other  products  are  similar  to  that  of  Urbino. 

There  were  many  other  potteries  in  Italy  besides  those  me" 


5<"» 


G'R  A  F  F  I  T  O 


tinned,  and  the  irritation  of  the  art  is  variously  ascribed  to  Caffag- 
giola,  Faenza  and  Pesaro.  There  are  dated  pieces  of  Caffag- 
giola,  which  was  under  the  patronage  of  the  Medici,  of  1507  and 
1509.  The  glaze  is  of  a  very  rich  and  even  quality  and  the  blue 
as  brilliant  as  lapis  lazuli. 

Faenza  had  several  potteries,  one  of  which  was  the  Casa 
Pirota.  It-  works  were  of  the  highest  quality,  admirable  alike  in 
design  and  execution.  Borders  of  grotesques  in  blue  on  a  white 
:  -  »und,  enclosing  central  designs,  predominated  and  the  works 
cf  three  clever  artists  are  traceable,  though  their  names  are 
unknown.  Later,  that  is  the  sixteenth  century,  when  painting 
covered  the  whole  of  the  surface,  Faenza  ware  is  difficult  to  dis- 
tinguish from  other  Italian  pieces.  On  Faenza,  Urbino  and  other 
wares  may  be  seen  the  initials  S.  P.  Q.  F.,  meaning  the  Senate 
and  people  of  Florence.  There  were  also  potteries  at  Forli, 
Rimini,  Ravena,  Siena,  Ferrara,  Deruta  and  perhaps  Florence. 

With  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century  the  Italian  ware  ceased 
to  have  artistic  merit,  the  special  features  that  had  characterized 
it  were  abandoned  and  it  was  allowed  to  sink  into  oblivion. 

Before  passing  on  to  trace  the  progress  of  tin  enamel  we 
must  allude  to  the  incised  ware  of  the  Italians,  variously  called 
Sgraffiati,  Sgraffiato  and  Graffiito.  The  process  had  been  used 
from  primitive  times  and  consists  of  covering  the  ware  with  a 
slip  of  another  color  which  is  then  scratched  through  with  a  tool 
to  show  the  body  underneath,  thus  forming  the  pattern.  It  was 
extensively  employed  by  the  Italians  of  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth 
centuries  who  dignified  it  into  an  art. 

Let  it  be  noted  that  in  cases  where  the 
l  pottery  was  not  covered  with  a  tin  enamel,  but 

with  a  white  slip  on  which  the  subject  was 
painted  and  then  covered  with  a  lead  glaze 
and  afterwards  lustered,  it  was  distinguished 
by  the  name  "Mezza- Majolica." 

In  Germany  the  tin  enamel  appears 
to  have  been  known  earlier  than  in  Italy, 
the  Germans  ascribing  it  to  an  Alsa- 
tian potter  who  died  in  1283.  It  was 
known  to  Hirschvogel  of  Nuremburg  and 
specimens  dating  from  1470  by  him  are 
known.  The  vase  illustrated  is  20  inches 
high  and  is  decorated  with  scenes  from  the 
life  of  Christ,  notably  the  Crucifixion.  It  was 
sold  a  year  or  so  ago  for  $900.  But  it  is  to 
France  rather  than  Germany  we  must  look 
jiikschvogel  vase,    for  a  perpetuation  of  this  stanifrerous  pottery 


A     P  O  T  T  E  R  Y    P  R  I  M  E  R  .  $t 

CHAPTER   VII. 

DELFT.       FAIENCE  D'  OIRON.       BERNARD  PALISSY.         NEVERS.     ROUEN. 
MOUSTIERS.         ENGLISH   DELFT. 

By  this  time  Oriental  pottery  was  being  imported  into 
Europe  and  the  potters  of  that  continent  were  searching  for  the 
materials  which  would  enable  them  to  produce  it.  The  trend 
of  these  experiments,  the  superstitious  beliefs  as  to  the  composi- 
tion of  the  body  and  the  results  achieved  will  be  told  elsewhere. 
Early  in  the  seventeenth  century  the  Dutch,  who  were  then  the 
leading  traders,  had  established  a  large  trade  with  the  Orient, 
and  this  Oriental  pottery  stimulated  the  Dutch  to  attempt  some- 
thing similar  in  character.  The  movement  centered  in  the  town 
of  Delft,  which  had  no  pottery  traditions,  its  industries  having 
been  mainly  confined  to  beer  and  wool.  At  one  time  nearly  three 
hundred  breweries  lined  its  canals. 

We  are  told  that  as  early  as  1310  there  are  examples,  or 
rather  records,  of  pottery  in  Delft,  but  if  this  is  so  the  industry 
became  extinct,  for  according  to  M.  Havard,  the  authority  on 
Delft  pottery,  the  archives  of  the  town  are  silent  on  that  point 
up  to  the  seventeenth  century,  and  this  is  emphasized  by  the  fact 
that  in  1596  a  list  is  given  of  the  trades  permitted  in  the  town,  in 
which  pottery  is  not  included. 

The  selection  of  a  town  like  Delft  for  a  pottery  center,  with 
no  natural  resources,  suggests  the  inquiry  as  to  why  it  was 
selected.  We  think  the  answer  is  that  it  was  to  provide  an  indus- 
try to  replace  one  or  more  lost  ones.  From  1573  to  1584  Delft 
had  been  the  residence  of  William  the  Silent,  and  the  presence  of 
the  court  had  made  it  to  some  extent  an  artistic  center — William's 
successor,  Maurice,  never  resided  in  Delft,  and  in  consequence 
the  town  lost  much  of  its  social  and  artistic  character  and  was 
deserted  by  the  tapestry  workers,  goldsmiths,  etc.  The  manu- 
facture of  cloth  seemed  to  have  died  out  and  the  breweries  were 
beginning  to  decline.  It  was  probably  Herman  Pieterz  who 
inaugurated  the  idea  of  pottery.  The  potters  were  formed  into  a 
guild  called  the  Guild  of  St.  Luke,  which  is  first  mentioned  in 
161 1.  Two  years  later  (1613)  was  commenced  the  "Masters' 
Books"  of  the  guild,  eight  master  potters  being  inscribed  therein, 
the  first  on  the  list  being  Herman  Pieterz,  another  was  Thomas 
Janz  (Thomas  Jones),  an  Englishman.  This  guild  grew  mightily; 
an  examination  had  to  'be  passed  by  every  member  and  it  event- 
ually contained  no  less  than  763  ceramists.  Many  of  the  potteries 
had  distinguishing  signs,  such  as  "The  Claw,"  "Three  Bells,"  the 
"Porcelain  Hatchet,"  the  "Porcelain  Bottle,"  etc.     As  we  have 


52 


DELFT. 


said,  Delft  had  no  natural  advantages  for  the  manufacture  of 
pottery,  the  clay  heing  obtained  from  Tournai  and  the  Rhine. 
There  are  three  periods  of  Delft  pottery,  the  first  from  its  incep- 
tion up  to  1650,  characterized  by  an  extremely  full  decoration 
usually  in  blue,  the  subjects  represented  being  mostly  historical 
and  battle  scenes  containing  a  great  number  of  figures.  The 
-round  was  a  white  enamel  which  gained  in  brilliancy  by  the 
hard  fire  it  was  capable  of  receiving  without  impairing  the  quality 
of  the  blue.  This  was  covered  with  a  transparent  lead  glaze, 
applied  by  shaking  the  glaze  on  the  enamel  with  a  brush,  both 
being  fired  at  the  same  time.  This  had  the  effect  of  heightening 
the  color. 

In  the  second  period,  1650-1710,  the  art  lost  something  of  its 
distinctive  and  national  characteristics,  but  is  remarkable  for  its 
reproductions  of  Oriental  wares,  not  only  in  blue  but  also  in  reds, 
greens,  yellow  and  gold.  Three  well  known  potters  of  this 
period  were  Pynacker,  Fictoor  and  Van  Eenhorn,  who  made 
beautiful  polychrome  decorations  on  a  blue  ground.  The  blue 
and  whites  wares  were  also  considerably  improved  and  while  the 
subjects  were  often  Chinese,  many  Dutch  landscapes  and  rural 
scenes  were  also  made.  The  third  period  extended  from  1710 
to  its  decline,  and  the  productions  were  purely  commercial,  not 
that  no  artistic  goods  were  produced  for  such  was  far  from  the 
case  The  grotesques  of  the  Japanese  were  reproduced  and  imi- 
tated and  this  led  to  exaggerated  forms  which  possessed  neither 
the  humor  of  the  Japanese  nor  their  originality  and  were  dis- 
played in  such  abortions  as  vegetable  dishes  in  the  form  of  birds, 
etc.  These  and  similar  things  may  be  curious,  they  are  certainly 
not  artistic,  for  only  can  an  utilitarian  article  be  so  classed  when 
it  is  best  adapted  to  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  intended  and  the 
lines  of  it  are  as  simple  as  possible. 

There  is  a  story  of  a  Delft  potter,  who  is  said  to  have  made 
four  faience  violins  on  the  occasion  of  the  wedding  on  the  same 
day  of  his  four  sons.  Champfleury,  a  French  writer,  took  this  as 
a  motive,  and  from  it  evolved  his  charming  "A  Faience  Violin," 
the  most  dependable  work  of  fiction  in  which  pottery  figures, 
that  we  know  of. 

With  the  extinction  of  the  simplicity  that  first  characterized 
Delft  pottery  and  the  competition  of  English  earthenware  the 
industry  gradually  declined  and  finally  decayed  towards  the  end 
of  the  eighteenth  century. 

Before  tracing  the  progress  of  tin  enameled  ware  to  the 
Normandy  potters,  we  must  note  the  production  in  France 
of  two  isolated  examples  of   the  potters  art.     The  one  is  the 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER.  53 

pottery  of  Bernard  Palissy,  the  other  Faience  d'  Oiron,  also 
known  under  the  names  of  Henri  Deux  and  Saint  Porchaire 
ware.  There  now  seems  no  reason  to  doubt  that  it  was  made  at 
the  Chateau  d'  Oiron  near  Thouars,  from  1524  to  1537,  under 
the  direction  of  the  widow  of  Arthur  Gouffier,  Helene  de  Hen- 
gest,  a  woman  of  refined  and  artistic  taste.  In  collaboration  with 
her  were  two  skilful  and  intelligent  men,  Jehan  Bernart,  her 
librarian,  and  Francois  Charpentier,  to  whom  she  deeded  in  1529 
the  house  and  orchard  where  the  pottery  was  made.  Helene  de 
Hengest  died  in  1537,  and  the  pottery  was  continued  under  the 
patronage  of  her  son  Claude  Gouffier  until  about  1568,  when  it 
fell  into  the  hands  of  inexperienced  men  and  rapidly  declined. 
There  is  a  particular  charm  about  this  pottery  when  we  remember 
that  at  that  period  nothing  but  the  most  ordinary  wares  were 
made  in  France,  when  Italy  was  committed  to  the  tin  enamel  be- 
fore the  rise  of  Delft,  and  Germany  had  practically  little  more 
than  the  Nuremberg  pottery,  and  it  is  certainly  remarkable 
that  this  distinct  type  should  be  created  in  this  obscure  place  with 
no  pottery  traditions.  It  is  the  more  remarkable  as  apart  from 
the  exquisite  quality  of  the  workmanship,  it  presented  technical 
difficulties  of  no  mean  order,  difficulties  which,  as  far  as  we 
know,  have  been  surmounted  in  modern  times  by  but  one  crafts- 
man, Charles  Toft,  who  successfully  duplicated  some  of  these 
pieces  for  Minton  of  Stoke-upon-Trent.  It  was  by  no  means 
a  commercial  venture,  the  pieces  being  evidently  made  for  pres- 
entation. At  first  the  forms  were  extremely  simple,  but  as  the 
potters  grew  accustomed  to  their  material,  enrichments  were 
added,  the  forms  lost  their  simplicity  and  became  very  ornate. 
But  on  all  the  utmost  pains  and  most  loving  care  was  bestowed 
on  the-  decorative  enrichments.  The  body  is  a  fine  white  clay, 
and  on  this  the  pattern  was  impressed  or  incised  and  the  sunk 
portion  was  filled  up  with  different  colored  clays,  yellow,  buff 
and  brown.  There  could  not  have  been  the  same  shrinkage  dur- 
ing the  drying  and  firing  in  all  these  clays,  and  the  adjustment  of 
these  in  the  perfectly  marvelous  manner  in  which  it  was  accom- 
plished, gives  them  their  chief  value.  The  patterns  of  an  intri- 
cate nature  are  more  easily  accounted  for  and  were  no  doubt 
suggested  by  the  ornate  book  bindings  by  Groller  and  others  of 
that  period.  Introduced  in  the  designs  the  cypher  of  Henri  II.  is 
found  on  several  pieces,  and  this  gave  rise  to  the  name  Henri- 
deux  ware.  Of  this  ware  there  are  hut  fifty-three  known  ex- 
amples, and  they  are  valued  at  $140,000,  but  would  undoubtedly 
bring  much  more  if  sold  to-day.     They  may  be  regarded  as  one 


54 


BERNARD    PALISSY 


of  the  curiosities  of  the  ceramic  art,  a  triumph  of  technical  skill, 
an  everlasting  monument  to  the  genius  of  their  creator. 

The  indomitable  perseverance  of  the  French  potter,  Bernard 
Palissy,  soon  afterwards  added  another  ceramic  triumph  to  the 
credit  of  France.  Born  about  1510,  he  married  in  1539,  and  took 
up  his  abode  at  Saintes.  He  seems  to  have  practiced  both  glass 
painting  and  surveying.  A  cup  of  enameled  earthenware  which 
some  way  came  under  his  observation,  inspired  him  with  the 
desire  to  imitate  it.  He  has  himself  written  the  story  of  his  life, 
his  hopes  and  aspirations,  his  disappointments  and  the  dire  stress 
of  poverty,  but  no  word  does  he  tell  us  of  the  secret  of  his  glaze. 
It  was  a  strange  and  marvelous  quest,  "a  grouping  in  the  dark,"' 
as  he  himself  writes,  and  became  an  obsession.  Failure  followed 
failure,  brightened  now  and  then  by  gleams  of  encouragement 
which  only  lured  him  on  to  new  experiments,  to  poverty  one  de- 
gree greater  than  before.  In  the 
open  graves  of  his  children  he 
looked  sorrowfully  down,  in  the 
emaciated  faces  of  those  who 
still  lived,  and  in  that  of  his  wife 
he  read  his  condemnation,  but  he 
never  swerved.  The  idea  had 
got  hold  of  him  and  held  him, 
and  enthusiast,  madman — call 
him  what  you  like — he  stopped 
at  nothing.  Without  money, 
his  credit  absolutely  ex- 
hausted there  came  the  time 
when  to  feed  the  kiln,  the  doors 
and  window  frames  of  his 
house  were  used  as  fuel,  yet  still 
the  glaze  had  not  melted.  In  a 
moment  of  courage  or  madness, 
taunted  and  reviled  by  his 
neighbors,  the  few  scanty  pieces 
of  furniture  he  owned,  went  into 
the  kiln's  insatiable  maw,  and 
the  glaze  dissolved,  the  result 
for  which  he  had  given  sixteen 
years  of  his  life  had  been  at- 
tained. 
It  would  be  well  perhaps  to  modify  this  statement,  for  al- 
though we  do  not  know  what  the  original  cup  was  that  inspired 
Palissy,  it  was   reasonable  to  suppose  that  it  was  as  he  says, 


FAIENCE   D     OIRON    BIBERON. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


55 


"enameled,"  and  possibly  may  have  been  made  at  Nuremberg,  or 
was  one  of  the  opaque  enamels  of  Limoges.  If  this  is  so  he  must 
have  abandoned  his  original  idea  for  what  he  produced  was  a 
transparent  colored  glaze  of  various  colors. 

The  best  know  of  his  works  are  his  pieces  rustiques,  which 
are  ornamented  with  fish,  frogs,  snakes,  shells,  leaves  and  other 
natural  objects,  and  are  covered  with  colored  transparent  glazes. 
These  objects  were  first  arranged  in  the  desired  form,  and  by 
pouring  plaster  over  them  a  mold  was  obtained.  Much  cannot 
be  said  for  their  artistic  value,  but  their  technical  excellence  if 
unquestionable,  especially  when  we  consider  the  common  ma 
terials  from  which  they  were  evolved.     In  addition  to  these  he 


VPALISSY  DISTT. 


utilized  the  beautiful  creations  of  Frangois  Briot.  using  his  ewers 
and  plates  from  which  to  make  molds,  and  later  must  have  em- 
ployed artists  of  renown  to  model  his  more  original  figure  sub- 
jects. 

He  became  a  convert  to  the  teachings  of  the  Reformation, 
was  arrested  in  1558  and  imprisoned  at  Bordeaux,  his  kilns  and 
workshops  being  destroyed.  He  was  liberated  in  1563  and  set 
up  a  pottery  in  Paris  where  he  lived  and  prospered  until  1588, 
when  he  was  thrown  into  the  Bastile,  and  refusing  his  liberty  at 
the  price  of  recantation  (fancy  Palissy  recanting)  he  was  con- 
demned to  death,  but  died  in  1589,  before  sentence  was  carried 
out.     It  was  in  the  Bastile  that  he  wrote  the  story  of  his  life, 


56 


BERNARD    P  A  L  I  S  S  Y 


"TALISSY  DISH   AFTER  BRIOT. 


rich  in  philosophical  and  religions  meditations,  but  almost  devoid 
of  particulars  as  to  his  pottery.  The  French  profess  to  regard 
this  work  as  one  of  exceptional  merit,  Lamartine  seeing  there 
the  grace  of  Montaigne,  the  graphicness  of  Rousseau  and  the 
poetry  of  Bossuet. 


*PALISSY  JARDINIERE. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


57 


An  attempt  was  made  to  continue  Pallisy's  work,  but  for 
want  of  knowledge  of  the  processes  it  was  soon  abandoned  as  a 
failure. 

Frequent  attempts  have  been  made  to  reproduce  Palissy 
pieces,  some  clumsy  imitations,  others  of  considerable  merit,  but 
the  best  are  by  Avisseau,  of  Tours,  whose  work  is  so  like  the 
original  as  to  deceive  the  most  expert.  Palissy  pieces  being  of 
great  value,  his  temperance  dish  (a  copy  of  a  pewter)  selling  in 
1886  for  over  five  thousand  dollars,  Avisseau  was  approached  by 
certain  dealers  to  issue  his  copies  unsigned,  but  to  his  own  credit 
and  that  of  humanity,  he  refused,  and  all  pieces  made  by  him 

bear  his  name.  These 
in  turn  will  become 
valuable  just  as  have  the 
pieces  of  Faience  d' 
Oiron  made  by  Toft. 

There  were  several 
attempts  made  to  intro- 
duce the  tin  enamel  in 
France  which  did  not 
prove  successful.  One 
of  these  was  at  Lyons 
about  the  middle  of  the 
sixteenth  century  and. 
another  one  at  Nantes, 
both  founded  by  Italian 
potters. 

Girolamo  della  Robbia, 
a  grandson  of  Lucca 
della  Robbia,  in  the  time 
of  Francis  I  was  en- 
trusted with  the  decora- 
tion of  part  of  the 
Petit  chateau  de  Madrid, 
or,  as  it  was  nicknamed,  Chateau  de  faience,  because  the  out- 
side walls  were  covered  with  pottery  and  enamels.  It  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  in  1792,  and,  unfortunately,  no  effort  was  made  to 
preserve  specimens  of  the  pottery  used  in  its  construction.  It 
is  surmised  that  Masseot  (Thomas)  Abaquesne,  of  Rouen,  who 
is  known  through  documentary  evidence  only,  may  have  worked 
for  Girolamo,  and  so  learned  the  secret  of  the  enamel. 

This  documentary  evidence  about  pottery  of  which  there 
are  no  known  examples  sometimes  receives  startling  confirmation. 
Jean  de  Valence,  a  Saracen,  was  known  to  have  worked  at  Poi- 


PALISSY    HUNTING    FLASK    WITH    ARMS 
OF    MONTMORENCY. 


58  N  O  RM  AN  DY    P  0  T  T  ER  Y  . 

tiers  from  1383  to  1387,  but  it  was  not  until  1904  that  M.  Lucien 
Magne  discovered  undoubted  examples  of  his  work  with  stani- 
ferous  enamel  and  reflets  mctalliques.  The  same  gentleman,  in 
his  explorations  at  the  Chateau  de  Saumar,  has  found  other  evi- 
dences of  the  manufacture  of  tiles  essentially  differing  from  the 
foregoing,  which  may  help  to  elucidate  several  doubtful  points, 
but  at  this  moment  M.  Magne  has  not  communicated  to  the  world 
their  exact  nature,  nor  are  his  explorations  in  the  Chateau  by  any 
means  complete. 

For    some    reason    the    potteries    we    have    mentioned    only 
existed  a  short  time,  and  the  real  history  of  the  tin  enamel  centers 
in   the   Normandy  potteries,   of  which   Nevers  was   the   earliest 
and  Rouen  the  most  celebrated.     Nor  did  these  potteries  spring 
from  the  initiative  of  the  French  potter.    The  Duke  of  Niver- 
nais  about  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century  brought  to  France 
a  number  of  Italian  artists  and  craftsmen,  among  whom  was  a 
potter  named  Scipion  Gambin,  of  Faenza,  who  settled  at  Nevers. 
He  produced  ware  in  the  style  of  Faenza  and  Urbina,  and  the 
former  being  his  native  town  it  is  easy  to  see  how  the  products 
would  be  alluded  to,  perhaps  at  first,  as  "in  the  style  of  Faenza," 
later  as  simply  "Faenza  ware,"  until  the  word  began  to  have  a 
generic  character  and  was  softened    into    faience.     His    wares 
lacked  one  characteristic  of  the  Italian,  inasmuch  as  a  transparent 
glaze  was  not  added  to  the  white  enamel.     The  subjects  were 
mostly  mythological  or  historical  subjects,  the  outlines  traced  in 
brown.     The  manufacture  was  not  very  important  and,  we  think, 
might  easily  have  decayed,  like  those  of  Lyons  and  Nantes,  but 
for  the  advent  of  the  brothers  Conrade,  Italians  from  Savona, 
who  in  1608  had  a  manufactory  at  Nevers.     In  place  of  the  poly- 
chrome decoration  they  reverted  to  the  simpler  blue,  discarded 
the  figure  subjects  in  favor  of  ornament,  though  this  was  often 
injudiciously  arranged,  various  styles,  such  as  Chinese  and  Ital- 
ian, being  mixed  together.     The  Conrades  for  three  generations 
successfully  carried  on  the  business.     But  the  greatest  ceramic 
claim  Nevers  possesses  is  in  the  beautiful  pieces  with  a  dark  blue 
ground  decorated  with  white  enamel,  of  so  much  excellence  as 
for  a  long  time  to  deceive  experts  as  to  their  origin,  the  learned 
Brongniart  ascribing  them  to  Persia.     Pierre  Custode  was  con- 
temporary with  the  Conrades  and  had  a  pottery  there  in   1632, 
known  as  l'Autruche  (the  Ostrich).     About  the  end  of  the  seven- 
teenth and  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  centuries  Chinese  influence 
asserted  itself  and  gave  a  certain  character  to  the  productions, 
but  the  Chinese  designs  were  often  inappropriately  used  and  often 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


59 


NEVERS  VASE. 


mixed  with  Italian  motifs.  Then  came  the  coarsely  painted  ware, 
with  figures  of  saints  and  the  name  of  the  person  for  whom  they 
were  intended,  which  quickly  degenerated  as  the  Italian  influence 
waned.  These  were  followed  by  heavy  and  common  ware,  in 
which  the  so-called  "Faiences  Patriotiques"  must  be  included, 
which  were  covered  with  unsightly  daubs,  and  beyond  which  bad- 
ness could  hardly  go. 

Some  of  the  Nevers  potters  must  have  mi- 
grated to  Rouen,  for  from  about  1644  to  1673 
we  find  pottery  showing  Italian  influence. 
About  the  latter  date  there  was  introduced  by 
Louis  Poterat  a  style  of  decoration  so  distinct 
that  it  is  always  identified  as  Rouenaise,  and 
is  essentially  French.  The  most  popular  dec- 
oration was  termed  a  lambrequins,  which  con- 
sists of  two  alternate  corresponding  designs 
repeated  so  as  to  form  a  border.  The  lam- 
brequins were  composed  of  leaves,  scrolls,  etc., 
in  white  on  a  blue  ground,  and  sometimes 
heightened  with  Indian  red,  a  color  not  used  at 
Nevers.  The  disposition  of  the  ornament  is 
always  symmetrical  and,  contrary  to  what  we  should  imagine  at 
first  glance,  of  extreme  simplicity.  These  designs  were  largely 
adapted  from  textile  fabrics,  lace,  the  tail  pieces  to  be  found  in 
books  of  the  period,  etc.  An  elaboration  of  these  designs  was 
termed  style  rayonnant,  in  which  similar  patterns  radiated  from 
the  center.  Afterwards  these  pattern  were  made  in  a  variety  of 
colors  and  Chinese  designs  were  used,  and  a  potter  named  Guil- 
libaud  introduced  a  border  of  black  and  red  check  alternating 
with  white  spaces  on  which  were  sprays  of  flowers.  Soon  after- 
wards the  cornucopia  pattern  was  introduced  and,  from  the  num- 
ber of  specimens,  must  have  been  very  popular.  Single  and 
double  cornucopias  from  which  flowed  a  shower  of  flowers,  birds, 
insects,  etc.,  painted  in  brilliant  colors,  red  and  yellow  predomi- 
nating. There  was  a  great  variety  of  articles  made,  both  for  use- 
ful and  ornamental  purposes,  and  among  the  latter  large  busts 
and  pedestals,  the  best  of  these  by  Nicholas  Fouquay  (1740),  who 
succeeded  Poterat.  Other  pieces  were  wall  fountains,  helmet 
ewers,  church  lamps,  brackets,  spice  boxes,  etc.  How  extensive 
was  the  production  may  be  judged  from  the  fact  that  early  in  the 
eighteenth  century  over  two  thousand  people  were  engaged  in  the 
industry.  The  proverb  that  it  is  an  ill  wind  that  blows  no  one  any 
good  is  well  exemplified  by  the  Rouen  potteries.  At  the  time  we 
speak  of  the  finances  of  France  were  about  exhausted  by  the  con- 


6o 


NORMANDY    POTTERY 


tinuous  wars,  much  misery  had  been  caused  by  the  inundation  of 
the  Loire  and  there  was  a  disastrous  famine  in  1709.     The  King 


Rouen  dish  a  Lambrequins. 


SCHOOL  OF  ROUEN". 


and  court  sent  all  objects  of  gold  that  they  possessed  to  the  mint 
to  be  coined,  and  substituted  faience  for  the  gold  plate  they  had 
used.  This  gave  a  great  impetus  to  the  pottery  trade  in  Rouen 
and  the  manufacturers  vied  with  each  other  to  produce  objects 
of  art.  With  the  growth  of  the  porcelain  industry  and  the  treaty 
of  commerce  with  England  admitting  Staffordshire  pottery,  the 
manufacture  of  faience  in  Rouen  came  to  a  close. 

But  it  was  a  great  ceramic  achievement;  the  skill  displayed 


4. 


m 


i*51 


s 


2'.'  -ittfr  (|»  •-*  ■  y.\ 

St  *^2-^ 


■pSi 


MOUSTIERS  DISH. 


SCHOOL  OF  MOUSTIERS. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER. 


61 


had  been  remarkable,  and  it  is  to-day  an  object  lesson  as  to  the 
suitability  of  the  design  to  the  shape  it  was  to  decorate. 

The  success  of  Rouen  led  to  the  establishment  of  many  pot- 
teries elsewhere,  but  we  can  only  give  them  a  passing  notice. 
Most  of  them  commenced  with  servile  imitations  of  Rouen,  and 
later  developed  into  more  original  styles.  The  Parisian  potters 
excelled  in  the  manufacture  of  chimney  pieces  and  stoves,  some 
of  the  former  being  works  of  art  in  all  sense  of  the  term.  St. 
Cloud,  later  to  become  famous  for  soft  porcelain,  commenced 
with  the  manufacture  of  faience.  Sincenny,  founded  by  Pierre 
Pillive,  a  Rouen  man,  made  faience  equal  to  that  of  Rouen,  and 
both  at  Lille  and  Quimper  good  ware  was  made.  Moustiers  did 
not  slavishly  copy  Rouen,  but  originated  styles  distinctively  its 


STRASBURG  FOUNTAIN. 


SCHOOL  OF  STRASBURG. 


own.  One  of  these  consisted  of  wreaths  of  flowers  and  small 
medallions,  softly  and  harmoniously  painted.  The  enamel  was 
also  very  pure.  Copies  of  the  fine  engravings  of  the  celebrated 
Florentine,  Antonio  Tempesta,  the  subjects  being  hunting  or 
battle  scenes,  were  successfully  painted  on  large  plaques.  Event- 
ually Moustiers  founded  a  school,  just  as  Rouen  had  done.  Of 
these  may  be  mentioned  Varages,  Taverne,  Marseilles,  Quimper 
and  Clermont-Ferrand. 

There  was  still  a  fourth  distinctive  pottery  center  in  addition 
to  Nevers,  Rouen  and  Moustiers,  Strasburg,  founded  in  1709 
by  Charles  Hannong  and  continued  by  his  sons  and  grand- 
sons until  about  the  end  of  the  century.  Porcelain  was  success- 
fully made,  but  in  1750  this  was  stopped  by  order  of  the  King  and 


62  FRENCH    F  A  I  EN  C  E  . 

the  kilns  destroyed,  so  that  the  protected  business  at  Vincennes 
might  not  be  interfered  with,  a  very  effective  way  of  stifling  com- 
petition. The  Hannongs  then  turned  their  attention  again  to 
faience,  employing  the  processes  used  for  decorating  porcelain, 
thus  creating  a  new  type.  The  shapes  were  of  greater  elegance, 
the  decorations,  mostly  detached  flowers,  were  executed  with 
great  dexterity  and  the  enamel  was  of  a  milky  whiteness.  Many 
large  decorative  faience  pieces  were  produced,  clocks,  fountains, 
etc.,  beautifully  modeled  and  painted,  and  dishes  with  pierced 
borders  were  for  the  first  time  made  in  France.  So  great  was 
the  success  of  the  Strasburg  faience  that  it  was  taxed  much  more 
heavily  than  similar  wares,  the  tariff  on  foreign  goods  being  ap- 
plied to  it  and  it  being  impossible  to  continue  its  manufacture 
under  such  conditions  the  industry  came  to  an  end.  Of  the  school 
of  Strasburg  were  Niedeviller,  founded  about  1742,  celebrated 
for  the  artistic  supervision  of  Madame  de  Beyerle  and  the  sculp- 
tures of  Charles  Sauvage,  generally  called  Lemire,  and  Luneville, 
to  whose  success  the  charming  statuettes  of  Cyffle  largely  con- 
tributed. Nancy,  founded  in  1774,  made  statuettes  by  Godeon, 
so  highly  esteemed  that  they  are  now  worth  their  weight  in  gold. 
Apt,  under  the  direction  of  the  widow  Arnoux,  has  a  claim  on 
our  consideration,  inasmuch  as  the  widow  Arnoux  was  the  grand- 
m.other  of  Leon  Arnoux,  to  whose  genius  much  of  the  success  of 
the  celebrated  Minton  factory  is  due.  We  can  but  catalog 
the  remaining  French  potteries,  Islettes,  from  1737  to  1830; 
Aprey,  Marseilles,  Sceaux,  Rennes,  Bordeaux,  Montpellier,  St. 
\mond-les  Eaux  and  Orleans.  The  three  illustrations  from 
Garnier's  "Dictonnaire  de  la  Ceramique,"  showing  the  styles  that 
dominated  the  schools  of  Rouen,  Moustiers  and  Strasburg  are 
worthy  of  special  study. 

In  England  the  tin  enamel  or  delft  ware,  as  it  was  called, 
never  took  permanent  root.  Dutch  potters  established  several 
potteries  in  Lambeth  early  in  the  seventeenth  century.  From 
there  it  drifted  to  other  centers,  Bristol,  Liverpool  and  Stafford- 
shire. Of  these  the  Lambeth  was  the  best,  but  is  easily  dis- 
tinguished from  the  Dutch,  as  the  latter  was  entirely  covered  with 
the  enamel,  while  the  surface  only  of  the  former  was  covered, 
the  back  being  finished  with  a  lead  glaze.  Some  of  the  Liver- 
pool tiles  arc  worthy  of  notice,  especially  the  engraved  designs  of 
Carver,  made  by  Sadler  &  Green,  printed  by  the  process  invented 
by  J.  Sadler.  Liverpool  delft  is  usually  distinguished  by  its 
bluish  tint,  while  that  of  Bristol  inclines  more  to  green  and  the 
I  ..imbeth  to  a  faint  rose. 

The   large  dishes  with   so-called  portraits  of  William  and 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER.  63 

Mary,  the  Duke  of  Marlborough  and  other  personages  of  the 
time,  and  known  as  "Blue  Chargers,"  were  possibly  made  at 
several  of  the  named  localities.  They  vary  so  much  in  character 
as  to  prohibit  the  idea  that  one  locality  was  responsible  for  them. 
Some  are  well  conceived  and  fairly  well  executed,  while  others 
are  mere  daubs  impossible  to  tolerate.  The  locality  where  this 
English  delft  ware  was  made  in  Staffordshire  is  still  known  as 
Lane  Delft. 

The  rapid  improvement  made  in  Staffordshire  earthenware 
made  it  impossible  to  continue  the  production  of  delft.  The  clay 
was  not  suitable  to  the  enamel,  being  much  denser  than  that  of 
delft,  and  this  caused  the  enamel  to  craze.  It  was  perhaps  the 
one  form  of  pottery  from  a  foreign  source  the  English  potter 
failed  to  improve,  and  as  it  was  by  no  means  equal  to  the  local 
product  its  manufacture  was  abandoned. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

GkES  DE  FLANDRES — JOHN  DWIGIIT. 

The  introduction  of  stoneware  in  Europe  is  generally  con- 
ceded to  Germany,  though  there  is  a  curious  story  of  Jacquelaine 
of  Bavaria,  Countess  of  Hainault  and  Holland,  considerably 
antedating  the  earliest  known  German  example,  a  fragment  of 
brown  Raeren  ware  dated  1539.  She  appears  to  have  been  the 
storm  center  of  troublous  times,  at  one  time  leading  an  army  in 
company  with  her  lover,  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  against  her 
husband,  twice  imprisoned  and  finally  forced  to  cede  her  pos- 
sessions to  Philip  "the  Good''  (save  the  mark)  and  retire  to  the 
privacy  of  the  castle  of  Teylingen.  Here  she  occupied  herself 
with  the  superintendence  of  a  pottery,  and  is  said  to  have  worked 
in  it  herself.  After  her  death  in  1436,  at  the  age  of  thirty-six, 
the  small  jugs  made  there  were  thrown  into  the  moat  "that  they 
might  in  after  ages  be  deemed  works  of  antiquity."  None  of. 
those  discovered  is  of  any  artistic  merit.  They  are  generally 
known  as  "Vrou  Jacoba's  Kannetjes." 

It  is  to  Germany  in  the  sixteenth  century  that  we  are  in- 
debted for  the  salt-glazed  stoneware,  generally  known  as  "Gres 
de  Flandres."  This  was  a  distinct  departure  from  anything  be- 
fore known  in  ceramics,  the  creation  of  a  type.  As  such  it 
calls  for  a  few  words  of  explanation.  The  body  was  hard  and  im- 
pervious, granular  in  texture  and  distinctly  suggestive  of  its 
name — stoneware.  The  clays  used  were  a  creamy  white,  a  rich 
brown  and  a  slaty  gray.     The  pieces  were  thrown  on  the  wheel 


64 


GRES    DE    ELANDrES 


and  then  enriched  with  various  patterns  made  from  molds  and 
fastened  to  the  surface  by  means  of  slip,  exactly  the  same  as  the 
Wedgwood  jasperware  was  made.  So  far  it  lacked  its  chief 
characteristic,  the  glaze.  Previously  this  had  been  applied  in  a 
powder  on  the  ware,  but  the  stoneware  glaze  was  formed  by 
throwing  common  sea  salt  into  the  kiln  when  the  heat  was 
highest,  which  vaporized  and  united  with  the  clay,  forming  a 
beautiful  granulated  glaze  similar  to  the  skin  of  an  orange.  Many 
attempts  have  been  made  to  account  for  the  discovery  of  salt 
glazing,  none  bear  investigation,  and  the  credit  of  it  must  be 
ceded  to  these  German  potters.  Owing  to  the  nature  of  the  body, 
which  was  liable  to  crack  with  heat  or  hot  water,  the  manufac- 
ture was  mostly  confined  to  beer  jugs,  tankards  and  ornamental 
pieces.  From  Germany  the  making  of  stoneware  passed  to  Hol- 
land and  from  there  to  England.  Before  taking  up  the  story 
there,  a  few  words  as  to  its  generic  title  "Gres  de  Flandres,"  is 


I'ULIIAM   STONEWARE. 


HOUND  HANDLED  TYG. 


in  order.  Flanders  at  that  time  embraced  part  of  Holland, 
Belgium  and  France,  and  all  the  "Low  Countries"  were  known  to 
outsiders  as  Flanders.  Raeren,  before  alluded  to,  one  of  the  seats 
of  manufacture,  was  in  Limbourg.  The  ports  of  shipment  were 
•Flemish  ports,  and  as  in  many  other  instances,  the  ware  was  so 
designated,  the  slatey  gray  clay  suggesting  the  prefix. 

There  were  several  attempts  made  in  England  to  introduce 
the  manufacture  of  stoneware,  but  all  traces  of  the  productions 
have  been  lost,  until  we  come  to  the  time  of  John  Dwight,  of 
Fulham,  the  first  important  name  on  the  role  of  honor  of  English 
pottery.  Dwight,  like  Bottcher,  Palissy  and  others,  was  not  a 
potter  by  trade,  but  was  evidently  lured  into  the  business  by  the 
desire  of  discovering  the  secret  of  Oriental  china.  While  he  did 
not  accomplish  this,  he  succeeded  in  producing  stoneware  of  the 
highest  quality,  and  in  the  words  of  M.  Solon,  "To  him  must  be 


A    POTTERY    PRIME  R  .  65 

attributed  the  foundation  of  an  important  industry  by  his  un- 
remitting researches  and  their  practical  application,  he  not  only 
found  the  means  of  supplying  in  large  quantities  the  daily  wants 
of  the  people  with  an  article  superior  to  anything  that  had  ever 
been  known  before,  but  besides,  by  the  exercise  of  his  refined 
taste  and  uncommon  skill,  he  raised  the  craft  to  a  high  level ; 
nothing  among  the  masterpieces  of  ceramic  art  of  all  other  coun- 
tries can  excel  the  beauty  of  Dwight's  brown  stoneware  figures, 
either  for  design,  modeling  or  fineness  of  material." 

The  manufactory  at  Fulham  was  established  in  1671,  and  in 
addition  to  the  figures  alluded  to  by  M.  Solon  large  quantities  of 
jugs,  mugs,  etc.,  were  made.  Many  of  the  former  were  in  the 
shape  of  Bellarmines  or  Graybeards,  having  the  grotesque  head 
impressed  on  the  neck ;  others  with  crests  and  badges,  or  figures 
of  birds  and  animals,  probably  having  reference  to  the  inns  for 
which  they  were  intended.  The  manufacture  of  these  by 
Dwight's  descendants  was  continued  long  after  his  death.  From 
Fulham  the  manufacture  of  brown  stoneware  spread  to  Notting- 
ham, Chesterfield  and  Derby,  the  ornamentation  instead  of  being 
in  relief,  being  incised  in  the  clay. 

Ir  is  to  these  localities  we  owe  the  black  bear  jugs,  and  jugs 
and  mugs  with  handles  in  the  shape  of  a  greyhound,  all  of  which 
seem  to  have  been  extremely  popular. 

In  continuation  of  this  subject  the  work  of  the  Elers  Brothers 
and  the  creation  in  England  of  a  new  type  of  salt  glazed  stoneware 
would  be  in  logical  sequence,  but  as  it  forms  such  an  important 
part  in  the  history  of  English  ceramics  we  will  defer  its  con- 
sideration, so  as  not  to  go  over  the  ground  twice,  until  we  deal 
with  the  pottery  of  that  country. 

To-day  England  and  Germany  share  the  honors  in  the  pro- 
duction of  stoneware,  the  creations  of  the  Lambeth  Doulton  and 
the  Villeroy  &  Boch  Mettlach  ware  being  equally  meritorious. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

PORCELAIN    IN    EUROPE— ARTIFICIAL   PORCELAIN. 

When  Oriental  porcelain  first  became  known  in  Europe  it 
was  regarded  with  an  almost  superstitious  veneration,  and  many 
wonderful  theories  were  advanced  as  to  its  manufacture.  The 
Chinese  kept  the  composition  of  the  paste  as  a  great  secret  and 
evidently  tried  to  lead  inquirers  astray  by  all  kinds  of  fantastic 


.  I  R  T  I  F  I  C  I  A  L    P 0 RC  E  L  A  1 X  . 

stories.  Barbosa,  a  celebrated  Italian  physician  (died  1576),  and 
his  contemporaries,  Jerome  Cardan,  Scaliger  and  Panciroti,  the 
learned  antiquary  of  Padua,  describe  the  body  as  being  com- 
posed of  the  shell  of  marine  locusts,  bruised  eggs,  gypsum  and 
other  ingredients,  which  had  to  be  buried  underground  for  eighty 
to  a  hundred  years  before  being  ready  to  use.  This  story  was 
probably  the  basis  for  Dr.  Johnson's  fanciful  derivation  of  the 
w<»rd  porcelaid — pour  cent  mines.  It  was  further  said  that  vases 
made  of  this  paste  had  the  wonderful  property  that  if  poison  was 
put  in  them  they  immediately  burst  asunder;  that  he  who  buried 
the  matter  never  saw  it  again,  but  left  it  as  a  legacy  to  his  heirs, 
being  much  more  valuable  than  gold.  The  secret,  however,  leaked 
out,  but  as  no  kaolin  was  known  to  exist  in  Europe,  men  set  to 
work  to  discover  a  substitute.  This  resulted  in  the  production 
of  soft  porcelain,  or,  as  it  was  later  called  at  Sevres,  pate  tendrc. 
Let  us  note  here  that  a  soft  porcelain  is  an  artificial  combination 
of  various  materials,  agglomerated  by  the  action  of  fire  in  which 
a  frit  has  been  used  as  a  substitute  for  the  natural  rock.  A  frit  is 
a  mixture  of  sand  and  alkali,  fused  together  in  the  fire,  then 
ground  up  and  mixed  with  clay  and  other  ingredients  to  form  the 
paste.  This  soft  porcelain  was  made  in  Venice  as  early  as  1504- 
15 19,  and  at  Vienna  in  1575  but  no  specimens  are  known.  The 
earliest  known  example  is  the  Medici  porcelain  made  at  Florence 
in  1580,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Medici  family.  The  dec- 
orations were  chiefly  in  blue  under  the  glaze;  the  paste  was  heavy 
and  not  very  white.  There  are  but  about  thirty  known  specimens 
of  this  ware.     Japanese  influence  is  plainly  discernable. 

The  Capo  di  Monte  works  were  founded  in  1736  by  Charles 
1 1  [,  but  notwithstanding  his  connection  by  marriage  with  the 
court  of  Saxony  the  china  produced  at  Capo  di  Monte  had  noth- 
ing in  common  with  that  of  Meissen,  being  a  soft  or  artificial 
body.  The  first  attempts  were  inspired  by  Japanese  pottery,  but 
very  quickly  assumed  a  distinctive  character.  The  Bay  of  Naples 
furnished  the  motifs,  and  seashells,  seaweed  and  coral  were  in- 
geniously combined  in  the  construction  of  some  of  their  most 
beautiful  work.  These  were  colored  naturally,  and  the  coral  red 
used  for  handles,  etc.,  is  a  characteristic  feature.  A  ewer  formed 
of  an  ingenious  combination  of  shells,  set  in  a  foot  of  coral,  a 
branch  of  which  climbs  up  the  sides  and,  arching  outward,  forms 
the  handle,  will  illustrate  the  style.  Figures  of  cupids,  sea 
nymphs,  etc.,  were  introduced  in  the  designs,  and  the  flesh  parts 
of  these  were  always  most  carefully  painted — not  in  washes,  but 


A    POTTERY    PRIM  E  R 


67 


by  careful  and  laborious  stippling.  The  table  services  made  at 
Capo  di  Monte  were  splendid  examples  of  potting,  the  paste  being 
fine  and  transparent  and  almost  as  delicate  as  the  Chinese  egg- 
shell. Beautiful  bas-reliefs,  statuettes,  etc.,  in  white  bisque  were 
also  produced.  The  King  is  stated  to  have  personally  worked  in 
the  pottery  in  addition  to  attending  to  its  finances.  When  he  was 
called  to  the  throne  of  Spain  in  1759  he  determined  to  take  his 
china  works  with  him. 

Prince  Ferd  i- 
n  a  n  d  removed 
what  was  left  to 
Portici  and  after- 
wards to  Naples, 
but  the  guiding 
spirit  had  passed 
away  and  the 
works  were  closed 
in  182 1.  Some  of 
the  molds  came  in- 
to the  hands  of 
Ginori,  who  has 
continued     to     re- 

REPRODUCTIONS  OF  CAPO  DI  MONTI  BY  GINORI.  produce    them. 

At  Buen  Ritrio 
the  whole  product  was  reserved  for  imperial  use  until  after  the 
death  of  Charles  in  1788,  the  traditions  of  Capo  di  Monte  being 
closely  followed.  Later  reproductions  of  Sevres  and  Wedgwood 
were  made.  The  manufactory  was  blown  up  by  Lord  Hill  dur- 
ing the  Peninsular  War  (1812). 

In  the  meantime  in  France  patents  for  the  manufacture  of 
porcelain  had  been  granted  to  Louis  Poterat,  "Le  Sieur  de  St. 
Etienne,"  and  to  Reverend  of  Paris.  While  there  are  examples 
of  the  work  of  both  of  these  men,  neither  of  them  succeeded  in 
producing  china  in  commercial  quantities,  and  the  specimens  can 
only  be  regarded  as  interesting  experiments.  The  first  porcelain 
manufactory  in  Europe  was  that  of  Chicanneau  and  his  son  at  St. 
Cloud,  established  some  time  prior  to  1698.  The  body  was  a 
fine  milky  white  color,  very  translucent  and  carefully  decorated 
both  with  Oriental  patterns  and  in  the  pure  French  style.  On 
the  death  of  Chicanneau  the  works  were  continued  'by  Henri  Trou. 
They  were  burned  down  in  1773  and  were  not  rebuilt.  Follow- 
ing this  came  Lille  ( 171 1)  and  Chantilly  (1725).  Mennecy- 
Villeroy  (1735)  united  with  Bourg-la-Reine  in  1773.  Sceaux  and 


68 


T HE    BIRTH    OF    SEVRES 


Arras  (1711).  Of  these,  Chantilly  is  the  most  noteworthy,  the 
glaze  being  stanifferous,  which  imparted  a  special  brilliancy  and 
softness  to  the  colors. 

Two  workmen  from  St.  Cloud,  under  the  patronage  of  the 
Marquis  Orry  de  Fulvy,  started  a  manufactory  at  Vincennes  in 
1740,  which  only  escaped  failure  by  the  intelligence  of  a  workman 
named  Gravant.     The  King  of  France  became  interested  in  this 

manufactory,  and  though  up  to 
1749  the  expenses  had  exceeded 
the  income,  the  porcelain  manu- 
factured there  had  become  of 
considerable  repute,  especially 
the  vases  decorated  with  flowers 
in  relief.  Some  exquisite  colors 
had  been  realized,  including  the 
bleu  de  roi  and  Rose  Pompadour. 
Voucher  and  Vanlos  supplied 
designs  for  figures  and  groups 
which  were  beautifully  repro- 
duced in  biscuit.  In  1753  the 
King  owned  one-third  of  the 
shares  and  authorized  the  em- 
ployment of  his  monogram  as  a 
mark.  The  premises  were  found 
too  small  for  the  growing  busi- 
ness, and  in  1756  were  moved  to 
the  new  manufactory  at  Sevres. 
This  then  was  the  birth  of  a  pot- 
tery which  extended  more  in- 
fluence than  any  other  similar 
institution  in  the  world  and  early 
specimens  of  which  are  most  highly  prized  by  connoisseurs.  For 
one  reason,  pate  tendre  was  a  distinct  invention ;  the  Meissen 
china  was  a  successful  reproduction  of  an  Oriental  'body.  For 
another,  owing  to  the  softness  of  the  glaze,  the  colors  sank  in  it 
and  lost  the  applied  appearance  they  have  on  hard  porcelain. 

The  manufacture  of  pate  tendre  was  continued  at  Sevres  con- 
currently with  that  of  pate  dure  until  1804,  when  it  was  aban- 
doned. 


SEVRES   VASE. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 
CHAPTER  X. 


69 


PORCELAIN  IN  EUROPE;  HARD  PORCELAIN. 

The  credit  of  having  made  the  first  hard  porcelain  in  Europe 
must  be  awarded  to  Johann  Bottger,  or  Bottcher,  about  1710. 
Bottger  was  born  in  1681  or  1682  at  Schleiz,  in  the  territory  of 
the  Reuss.  He  was  apprenticed  to  an  apothecary  of  Berlin  and 
interested  himself  in  experiments  in  a  search  for  the  philosopher's 
stone,  that  ignus  fatuus  of  the  alchemists  of  the  day.  In  some 
manner  he  incurred  the  displeasure  of  the  authorities  and  fled  to 
Saxony,  then  under  the  electorate  of  Augustus  II.  This  pro- 
fligate and  extravagant  King,  believing  that  Bottger  knew  the 
secret  of  transforming  the  baser  metals  into  gold,  tried  to  wrest 


BOTTGER   STONEWARE. 
FROM    "AMERICAN    HOMES    &    GARDEN. 


the  secret  from  him,  but  bearing  in  mind  that  only  a  little  time 
previously  the  King  had  sent  to  execution  one  Klettenburg  for 
failing  in  the  same  direction,  Bottger  denied  the  implication. 
But  the  King  was  not  satisfied  and  insisted  that  Bottger  should 
experiment  with  that  end  in  view.  It  was  then  that,  needing 
crucibles  capable  of  withstanding  great  heat,  he  made  some 
experiments  with  a  red  clay  and  succeeded  in  producing  a  body 
so  dense  that  it  could  be  cut  only  on  a  lapidary  wheel.  The  King 
saw  this  and  in  it  a  resemblance  in  texture  to  the  Chinese  por- 


70 


B  0  T  T  G  E  K 


celain  of  which  lie  was  an  enthusiastic  collector,  having  spent 
over  a  million  dollars  on  it  for  the  decoration  of  his  Japanese 
palace.  So  Bottger  was  sent  to  the  laboratory  of  Count  Tschirn- 
haus,  who  was  experimenting  in  pottery  and  who  we  know  had 
been  in  communication  with  John  Dwight,  of  Fulham.  The  two 
continued  their  experiments  and  that  these  might  be  conducted 
with  more  secrecy  they  were  transferred  to  the  castle  of  Al- 
brechtsburg  at  Meissen.  This  red  stoneware  was  a  substantial 
improvement  over  anything  that  had  been  made  in  Europe  up  to 
that  time.  The  Elector  gave  them  all  possible  assistance. 
Fischer,  a  Dresden  artist,  and  pere  Egelbert,  of  Delft,  with,  other 
workmen  from  Holland,  were  called  in,  ovens  were  constructed 
and  the  Bastion  de  la  Jeune  Filte  where  they  were  housed  became 
the  cradle  of  the  Royal  manufactory  of  Saxony. 


rffl  -  -  ffK't 


A    KAKNDLER  GROUP. 


MARCONI   PERIOD. 


During  the  invasion  of  Saxony  by  Charles  XII  of  Sweden, 
Bottger  was  sent  for  safety  to  Konigstein.  In  1707  he  returned 
to  Dresden  and  in  the  following  year  Tschirnhaus  died,  leaving 
Bottger  to  continue  the  fight  alone.  The  red  body  had  been 
much  improved  and  large  quantities  of  it  seem  to  have  been  made. 
It  is  almost  identical  to  the  red  stoneware  of  the  Chinese  and 
that  made  by  the  Elers  brothers  in  England.  Much  of  it  was 
decorated  with  gold  leaf  in  Japanese  designs.  It  was  called  red 
porcelain,  though  the  secret  of  real  porcelain  seemed  as  far  off 
as  ever.  A  fortunate  series  of  events  at  last  placed  the  secret  in 
Bottger's  grasp.  John  Schnorr,  a  rich  ironmaster,  when  out 
riding  near  Aue  noticed  that  his  horses'  hoofs  stuck  repeatedly 
in  a  soft  white  earth  and  it  occurred  to  him  that  it  might  be  util- 
ized as  a  powder  for  dressing  wigs,  then  an  important  article  of 


A    POT  T  E  RY    PRIMER.  ;r 

commerce.  The  idea  proved  to  be  successful  and  some  of  it 
eventually  came  into  Bottger's  hands.  He  immediately  recog- 
nized it  for  what  it  was,  kaolin,  and  the  secret  was  practically 
solved.  His  experiments  confirmed  this  and  a  period  of  intense 
excitement  followed.  The  King  saw  in  it  a  veritable  El  Dorado. 
To  a  man  who  spent  six  million  dollars  on  a  fete  to  one  of  his 
mistresses,  some  such  thing  was  needed.  His  subjects  could 
bleed  for  him  no  longer,  for  their  blood  was  all  exhausted.  So 
the  manufactory  at  Meissen  was  established  and  Bottger  was 
appointed  director.  The  exportation  of  the  clay  was  prohibited, 
it  was  carried  to  the  factory  in  sealed  barrels  by  persons  sworn 
to  secrecy;  the  pottery  was  a  complete  fortress;  the  portcullis  was 
only  raised  when  the  secret  password  was  given,  an  oath  of 
secrecy  was  taken  by  all.  and  renewed  every  month.  In  every 
room  was  painted  the  ominous  words : 

Geheim  bis  ins  Grab. 
(Be  secret  unto  death.)  Bottger  was  virtually  a  prisoner.  But 
he  had  indomitable  courage,  a  cheerful  disposition  and  an  im- 
mense capacity  for  work.  Success  did  not  come  at  once,  the  first 
pieces  being  thick  and  muddy  and  without  glaze.  But  sufficient 
progress  had  been  made  by  17 15  to  open  a  depot  in  Dresden  and 
to  send  a  quantity  of  it  for  sale  to  the  Leipsic  fair.  The  designs 
were  at  first  applied  in  mastic  oil,  but  enamel  colors  were  used 
about  three  years  later.  Shapes  and  decorations  were  copies  or 
suggestive  of  the  Oriental  porcelain.  For  the  King's  use  Bottger 
made  pieces  in  low  relief  pierced  at  the  sides  and  Augustus  must 
have  found  his  pottery  a  splendid  source  of  revenue,  for  the  King 
of  Poland  is  said  to  have  purchased  from  him  six  large  vases, 
paying  for  them  with  a  regiment  of  dragoons.  Arrears  of  salary 
to  court  officials  were  liquidated  by  small  pieces  of  porcelain  and 
the  King  promised  to  enoble  Bottger,  a  reward  the  libertine  ap- 
parently forgot  all  about.  The  intense  application  to  work,  the 
confinement  of  the  castle  pottery,  undermined  Bottger's  health 
and  he  died  in  1719  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded in  the  directorate  by  Harold  and  the  manufactory  began 
to  prosper,  especially  after  1730,  the  number  of  persons  employed 
being  378  in  1750,  against  ^  in  1720.  Painters  and  modelers  of 
ability  were  employed  and  their  influence  was  quickly  felt.  Among 
them  was  the  sculptor  Kaendler,  whose  figure  pieces  from  their 
grace  and  beauty  did  much  to  enhance  the  fame  of  Meissen.  His 
work  dates  from  1731.  Lindner,  the  most  celebrated  of  the 
Meissen  artists,  painted  birds  and  insects  from  1725  to  1745. 
The  Oriental  style  had  by  this  time  been  practically  exhausted. 


M  E  I  S  S  E  N  . 

From  1 73 1  to  1733  Augustus  II  assumed  the  management 
and  from  1733  to  1756  it  was  vested  in  Count  Bruhl,  almost  as 
great  a  profligate  as  his  master.  The  seven  years'  war — 1756- 
1763 — almost  put  an  end  to  the  Saxon  pottery,  its  whole  store 
of  china  being  seized  by  the  victorious  enemy  and  sold  for  $86,400. 
Frederic  the  Great  almost  denuded  it  of  workmen,  whom  he 
sent  to  the  factory  at  Berlin.  A  herculean  attempt  was  made 
by  llelbig  to  maintain  the  factory  during  that  critical  period,  not- 
withstanuing  the  fact  that  over  three  hundred  and  ninety-eight 
thousand  dollars'  woith  of  merchandise  was  taken  by  the  enemy 
during  that  period.  After  peace  was  proclaimed  the  pottery  re- 
covered its  position,  but  the  style  had  degenerated  and  Dietrich 
(born  1712,  died  1774),  the  court  painter,  was  made  director. 
Among  other  sculptors  and  artists  employed  by  him  was  Acier, 
whose  figures  and  groups  equaled  and  in  some  respects  sur- 
passed those  of  Kaendler.  The  well-known  antique  figures  and 
groups  were  produced  at  this  time.  After  Dietrich's  death  came 
another  period  of  decadence.  In  1796  Count  Marcolini  was  ap- 
pointed director  and  continued  until  1814.  A  more  classical  style 
was  adopted,  imitated  from  the  French,  and  pieces  of  this  period, 
marked  with  the  swords  and  star  beneath,  are  highly  esteemed. 
Bergrath  Oppal  was  director  from  1814  to  1833,  but  the  quality 
of  the  production  again  deteriorated,  Meissen  had  lost  its  pres- 
tige and  gradually  sank  in  importance  and  for  a  long  period  did 
but  counterfeit  its  previous  successes.  In  1827  Kuhn,  the  then 
director,  succeeded  in  making  liquid  gold,  which  was  at  least  a 
great  financial  success,  but  that  is  about  all  that  can  be  said  in  its 
favor.  In  1850  coal  was  first  used  for  firing.  In  1863  the  fac- 
tory was  transferred  to  the  Triebischthal,  near  Meissen,  as  it 
was  feared  the  engines  would  be  disastrous  to  the  beautiful  halls 
of  the  Albrechtsberg.  This  new  factory  was  enlarged  in  1863 
and  again  in  1873.  After  the  death  of  Kuhn  the  oberf actor 
Raithel  was  made  director,  and  the  manufactory  owes  much  of 
its  present  prosperity  to  his  successful  direction.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded in  1894  by  H.  C.  Brunnemann.  Thanks  to  the  ability  of 
Professor  Sturm,  whatever  prestige  Meissen  may  have  lost  has 
been  fully  regained.  The  exhibit  at  Paris  in  1900,  and  at  subse- 
quent exhibitions,   shows  the  wonderful  change  that  has  taken 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER. 


73 


PLACOUE    BY    PROFESSOR    STURM. 


place.  The  art 
is  more  robust 
and  virile,  new 
methods  have 
been  thought 
out  and  their 
application 
showed  some 
unique  results. 
The  pate-sur- 
pate  and  grand 
feu  pieces  by 
Professor 
Stur m.  the 
groups  and  fig- 
ure paintings  by 
Andresen  a  n  d 
the  decorations 
by  Guiot  and 
Hentschel  dem- 
onstrated this.  Professor  Ernst  Zimmermann  is  the  present 
director. 

Meissen  porcelain  is  often  spoken  of  as  Dresden  or  Saxon 
china,  the  terms  expressing  the  same  thing.  The  best  known 
mark  is  the  crossed  swords  and  it  has  perhaps  been  more  ex- 
tensively imitated  than  any  other. 

Notwithstanding  the  rigorous  measures  taken  to  confine 
the  secret  of  the  manufacture  of  porcelain  to  Meissen,  the  matter 
was  of  such  paramount  interest  and  importance  that  it  was  in- 
evitable that  sooner  or  later  it  should  leak  out,  and  such  was  the 
case.  As  early  as  1718  a  manufactory  was  established  at  Vienna 
by  Du  Pasquier,  who  secured  the  services  of  a  man  named  Sten- 
zel  from  the  Meissen  works.  But  he  evidently  knew  very  little, 
for  after  a  few  years  he  returned  to  Meissen.  The  pottery  lan- 
guished until  1744  when  it  was  bought  by  the  State,  the  Empress 
Maria  Theresa  extending  her  patronage  to  it  and  matters  con- 
siderably improved. 

In  1784  it  was  under  the  direction  of  Baron  von  Sorgenthal 
and  it  was  then  that  the  fine  works  that  have  made  it  famous 
were  produced.  The  beautiful  colors  invented  by  the  chemist, 
Leithner,  have  never  been  surpassed,  although  the  paste  was  not 
as  good  as  that  of  Meissen.  The  best  of  these  were  a  rich  cobalt 
blue  and  a  brown  red.  A  fine  staff  of  artists  was  engaged,  the 
works  of  such  artists  as  Angelica  Kaufman  and  Watteau  were 


74 


BERLIN 


beautifully  reproduced  and  enriched  with  the  fine  gilding  for 
which  Vienna  is  famous.  Good  imitations  of  Wedgwood  ware 
were  produced  under  the  direction  of  Flaxman  and  the  works 
were  at  their  best  until  1820.  George  Perl,  a  distinguished  deco- 
rator, succeeded  Leithner  and  in  1856  Alexander  Lowe  assumed 
die  directorship.  It  was  during  this  period  in  1864  that  the 
works  were  permanently  closed  by  a  decision  of  the  Reichstag. 
The  Austrian  shield  was  used  as  a  trade-mark  and  from 
1784  to  1864  the  last  three  numerals  of  the  year  are  embossed  in 
the  clay. 

Other  places  where  escaping  workmen  carried  the  secret  of 
the  composition  of  porcelain  and  established  factories  were: 
Anspach  (Bavaria),  in  1718,  where  copies  of  Rouen  faience  de- 
signs  were  made;  Bayreuth  (Bavaria),  1720,  where  stoneware 
ornamented  with  figures  and  medallions  had  previously  been 
made;  Hochst,  near  Mayence  (Germany),  1720,  where  a  work- 
man named  Ringler  carried  the  secret,  of  which  he  was  subse- 
quently robbed  when  drunk,  by  other  workmen.  There  was  al- 
ready a  faience  manufactory  there  whose  products  are  much 
prized  and  many  of  the  designs  were  reproduced  in  porcelain. 
The  factory  is  celebrated  for  its  violet  red  color,  for  the  figures 
and  groups  of  Melchior  and  in  a  lesser  degree  for  those  of  his 
successor,  Reis,  which  are  known  as  "thick  heads,"  all  his  fig- 
ures having  abnormally  large  heads.  A  figure  of  a  lady  playing 
a  xylophone  of  Hochst  porcelain  brought  $1,300  at  a  sale  in  Berlin 
Berlin  in  H)<»).  In  1794  General  Custine  destroyed  the  manufac- 
tory, but  some  molds  and  models  were  saved  and  afterwards  used 
by  a  potter  named  Dahl,  who  continued  to  use  the  trade-mark  of 
the  original  pottery. 

The  factory  at  Berlin  was  founded  in  1750  by  Wegley, 
who  secured  the  services  of  some  potters  from  Hochst.  Pro- 
fessor Binns  states  that  "the  proprietor,  Edward  Cave,  was 
one  of  the  original  shareholders  in  the  works  at  Worcester."  In 
1763  the  factory  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  King  of  Prussia  and 
we  have  seen  how  during  the  war  with  Saxony  he  drafted  large 
numbers  of  workmen  from  Meissen  to  Berlin  and  by  their  aid 
the  ware  was  brought  to  great  perfection.  To  assist  the  devel- 
opment of  the  works  an  edict  was  issued  prohibiting  any  Jew 
from  marrying  until  he  could  show  that  he  had  bought  a  certain 
quantity  of  china.  Lithophanies,  or  transparencies,  were  in- 
vented here.  The  Berlin  porcelain  is  highly  esteemed,  especially 
for  use  in  the  chemical  laboratory,  the  factory  has  always  been 
progressive  and  is  to-day  producing  work  of  a  verv  high  order 


A  Pottery  primer.  ;s 

under  the  directorship  of  Dr.  Heinicke,  who  has  associated  with 
him  Professor  Schmutz-Baudiss,,  whose  beautiful  work  has  at- 
tracted so  much  attention  in  the  past  few  years.  The  pieces  of 
crystallized  glaze  made  at  Berlin  are  especially  noteworthy.  Pro- 
fessor Kips  is  the  art  director,  and  Wanzel  and  Trzaska  the  best 
known  of  a  large  staff  of  artists. 

At  Frankenthal,  Hannong  of  Strasburg,  started  a  factory 
in  1755,  which,  after  passing  to  his  son  in  1759,  came  into  the 
possession  of  the  Elector,  Carl  Theodore,  in  1761,  who  greatly 
improved  the  quality  of  the  production.  It  was  closed  in  1800. 
The  productions  are  known  as  Carl  Theodore  china.  An  attempt 
was  made  at  Fiirstenburg  by  the  Duke  of  Brunswick  in  1746  to 
make  porcelain,  but  it  was  not  until  six  years  later  that  any  suc- 
cess was  attained  and  then  only  by  the  aid  of  workmen  from 
Hochst.  The  pottery  is  still  in  existence  and  has  recently  exe- 
cuted a  presentation  service  with  views  of  Brunswick  for  the 
Duke  Regent  of  Brunswick. 

Nymphenburg  was  founded  in  1754  by  the  elector  of  Bavaria, 
some  Vienna  workmen  being  engaged,  and  in  1758  Duke  Carl  of 
Wurtemburg  founded  a  factory  at  Ludwigsburg  with  the  assist- 
ance of  Ringler.  The  Nymphenburg  factory  is  still  in  existence 
and  has  lately  produced  some  charming  groups  of  poultry  and 
similar  subjects. 

In  Italy  Francesco  Vezzi  started  a  pottery  at  Venice  in  1749 
and  was  ennobled  by  the  Senate,  the  clay  being  procured  from 
Saxony.  After  his  death  in  1740  it  ceased  to  exist.  In  1758 
Hewelcke,  a  German,  was  granted  the  privilege  of  making  por- 
celain and  a  second  one  was  granted  in  1762  to  a  rival  potter, 
upon  which  Hewelcke  returned  to  Germany.  In  1765  Cozzi 
started  a  porcelain  works,  using  clay  found  near  Venice,  and 
conducted  a  successful  business  until  1812,  when  the  works  were 
closed. 

Russian  porcelain  is  treated  of  under  the  name  of  that  conn- 
try. 

In  Sweden,  the  pottery  at  Rorstrand,  near  Stockholm,  which 
had  been  in  existence  for  a  few  years  as  a  faience  manufactory, 
commenced  to  make  porcelain  about  1730,  under  the  direction  of 
Conrad  Hunger,  a  Meissen  decorator,  but  it  was  not  until  about 
1745  that  the  products  attained  a  certain  degree  of  perfection. 

In  Belgium,  Peternyck,  a  native  of  Lille,  France,  in  1751 
obtained  the  privilege  of  making  porcelain  in  Tournay.  English 
workmen  constituted  the  bulk  of  the  force.  The  bleu  de  roi  pro- 
duced here  equaled  that  of  Sevres. 

It  is  now  necessary  to  revert  to  France.     The  Sevres  fac- 


76  LIMOGES. 

tory  accepted  the  services  of  two  Meissen  potters,  Busch  and 
Stadelmeyer,  in  order  to  make  the  natural  porcelain,  but  after 
long  and  costly  experiments  the  attempt  was  abandoned  and  they 
were  discharged,  as  to  manufacture  it  necessitated  the  use  of 
the  German  kaolin,  and  its  cost  and  that  of  its  transportation 
rendered  it  impossible  to  compete  with  the  Saxon  china. 

Kaolin  of  an  impure  character  was  discovered  at  Hestre,  in 
France,  and  some  experiments  were  made  with  it,  and  it  was 
abandoned.  Count  de  Brancas-Lauraguaise,  however,  in  1764 
continued  these  experiments  on  his  own  account,  and  there  are 
several  specimens  in  existence.  We  find  that  two  years  later, 
1766,  he  was  in  England  and  possibly  worked  at  Chelsea,  taking 
out  in  that  year  a  patent  for  hard  or  natural  china,  which  ante- 
dated Cookworthy's  patent  by  two  years. 

In  1765  a  most  fortunate  accident  rendered  France  in  a 
position  to  produce  natural  porcelain,  for  Madame  Darnet,  the 
wife  of  a  poor  surgeon,  found  near  St.  Yreix  a  soft  earth,  which 
on  account  of  its  oily  nature  she  thought  she  could  use  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  soap,  and  which,  upon  analysis,  proved  to  be  the 
much  desired  kaolin.  Great  a  boon  as  this  proved  to  Limoges 
and  France  in  general,  that  country  did  not  prove  itself  very 
grateful  to  Madame  Darnet,  for  up  to  1825  she  was  spending  her 
old  age  in  poverty,  when  through  the  intervention  of  M.  Alluaud 
and  others  Louis  XVIII  granted  her  a  pension. 

The  first  two  potteries  started  as  a  result  of  this  discovery 
were  the  one  at  La  Seynie  by  the  Marquis  de  St.  Aulaire  and  the 
Comte  de  la  Seynie,  and  that  of  Gabriel  Grellet  in  Limoges  about 
1773  or  1774.  Marryatt  states  that  Grellet  supported  by  Min- 
ister Turgot  was  granted  permission  to  export  his  porcelain  with- 
out duty,  the  mark  to  be  "C.  D.'"  Pieces  with  this  mark  in  rough 
script  are  known,  but  no  meaning  can  be  ascribed  to  them.  In 
1784  his  fabrique  was  purchased  by  the  king  as  a  branch  manu- 
facture of  Sevres.  Grellet  was  director  and  Massier  controller. 
It  may  here  be  mentioned  that  Sieur  Massier  had  a  faience  fac- 
tory in  Limoges,  established  in  1737.  An  inferior  kaolin  was  in- 
troduced and  Grellet  resigned  in  1785  and  was  replaced  by  Al- 
luaud, who  sacrificed  his  private  fortune  to  the  improvement  of 
the  works.  He  was  appointed  Director  of  the  Mint  and  Massier 
provisionally  succeeded  him  in  1793-5.  The  works  were  subse- 
quently purchased  by  Joubert  and  Cancate.  In  1794  M.  Mon- 
nierie  established  in  the  old  Augustine  Convent  a  manufacture 
which  continued  in  operation  until  1800,  when  it  declined  and 
was  later  turned  into  a  carpet  manufactory.  Baignol,  of  the  La 
Seynie  works,  left  there  and  shortly  after  set  up  on  his  own  ac- 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


77 


count  in  Limoges  the  largest  works  there  with  the  exception  of 
the  one  founded  in  1797  by  Alluaud  Pere,  which  was  carried  to 
great  perfection  by  his  son.  "Alluaud  porcelain,"  writes  Mr. 
Marryatt,  '"was  distinguished  for  its  whiteness  and  the  bright- 
ness of  its  enamel.  *  *  *  His  manufacture,  which  rose  in 
the  storms  of  the  Revolution,  was  remarkable  for  the  rapidity  of 
its  progress.''  The  porcelain  made  at  Limoges  was  sent  to  Paris 
to  be  decorated,  and  while  Marryatt  mentions  the  decorated  ware 
of  Alluaud  we  are  of  the  opinion  that  following  the  usual  custom 
it  had  been  decorated  in  Paris.  If  any  decorations  were  attempted 
in  Limoges  the  amount  was  inconsiderable,  and  it  was  left  to  an 
American,  David  Haviland,  to  initiate  in  1839  the  decoration  of 
services  for  the  table,  the  story  of  which  will  be  told  later.  Other 
early  Limoges  potters  were  Ruaud,  Pierre  Tharaud  and  Michel 
&  Volin. 

At  Sevres  the  illustrious 
Alexander  Brongniart,  who 
was  director  from  1800  to  his 
death  in  1847,  s0^  off  all  the 
undecorated  pate  tendre  in 
1804,  so  enthusiastic  was  he 
over  the  kaolinic  or  hard  por- 
celain. France  and  the  pot- 
tery world  in  general  owe  a 
deep  debt  of  gratitude  to  this 
distinguished  chemist,  who, 
by  his  disinterestedness,  his 
ability  and  influence  succeeded 
in  putting  in  order  the  affairs 
of  the  manufactory  and  made 
it  self-supporting  until  the 
year  1804,  when  it  became 
crown  property  and  was 
managed  for  the  Emperor. 
His  honesty  and  ability  were  recognized  by  the  successive  gov- 
ernments which  ruled  France  during  his  tenure  of  office,  perhaps 
the  most  prosperous  in  the  annals  of  Sevres.  Two  enduring 
monuments  perpetuate  his  memory,  his  "Traite  des  Arts  Cera- 
miques"  and  the  Museum  at  Sevres,  which  he  founded  in  1823. 
Under  his  scientific  direction  the  processes  were  much  improved ; 
vases  7  feet  10  inches  high  were  made,  painted  with  composi- 
tions intended  to  glorify  the  chief  events  in  the  career  of  Napol- 
eon I.    Practically  every  piece  was  so  designed ;  triumphal  char- 


ALEX.   BRONGNIART. 


78 


SEVRES 


iots,  statues  of  Fame,  Egyptian  monuments,  sumptuous  table  ser- 
vices with  borders  of  war  trophies  and  painted  centers  of  battle 
scenes;  life-size  busts  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress,  and  table 
tops.     We  may   well  question  the  taste  displayed   and  think  it 


MODERN    SEVRES. 


somewhat  ridiculous,  but  they  are  saved  from  absolute  failure  by 
the  perfection  of  their  execution.  Brongniart  was  succeeded  by 
Ebelman,  and  during  his  directorship  the  pate-sur-pate  process 
was  introduced  by  Louis  Robert  (about  1850),  but  the  experi- 


A     POTTERY    PRIM  E  R  .  79 

ments  were  so  long  and  costly  that  it  was  not  until  1862  that 
Sevres  was  able  to  send  to  the  London  Exhibition  a  set  of  small 
cups,  painted  with  subjects  from  La  Fontaine's  fables.  The 
process  consists  of  painting  with  clay  instead  of  color,  white  on 
a  colored  ground,  the  modeling  being  produced  by  transparency, 
according  to  the  thickness  of  the  paste,  very  beautiful  cameo-like 
effects  being  produced.  The  process  was  fraught  with  danger, 
the  losses  were  excessive,  but  these  were  greatly  minimized  by 
the  persevering  efforts  of  Alphonse  Salvetat,  the  distinguished 
chemist  of  Sevres,  who  died  in  1882.  M.  Solon-Miles,  now 
known  as  M.  L.  Solon,  was  the  principal  artist  in  this  beauti- 
ful work. 

Ebelman  died  in  1852  and  was  succeeded  by  Victor  Reg- 
nault,  who  retired  soon  after  the  breaking  out  of  the  Franco- 
German  War  in  1870,  and  was  followed  by  Louis  Robert,  head 
of  the  artistic  department.  He  died  in  1882  and  was  succeeded 
by  M.  Lauth. 

During  the  reign  of  Louis  Philippe  the  vases,  tables,  etc., 
were  overloaded  with  sculptured  relief  ornaments,  the  painting, 
gilding  and  ground  completely  obscuring  the  beauty  of  the  china, 
but  in  1852  under  the  direction  of  M.  Dieterle,  the  general  style 
of  decoration  was  improved  and  the  paintings  no  longer  cov- 
ered the  whole  of  the  surface. 

Theodore  Deck  was  director  from  1887  to  1891  and  was 
succeeded  by  M.  E.  Baumgart.  The  ceramics  of  M.  Deck  had 
already  established  him  as  the  foremost  ceramist  of  Europe,  he 
having  succeeded  in  reproducing  all  the  so-called  lost  arts  of  pot- 
tery in  his  Paris  factory,  which  he  founded  in  1859. 

In  1884  a  new  kind  of  porcelain  with  a  kaolinic  base  and  a 
soft  glaze  was  invented  and  the  same  year  produced  some  beau- 
tiful reds  of  copper  and  colored  enamels  rivaling  those  of  the 
Chinese. 

The  commercial  condition,  however,  of  the  manufactory  had 
for  some  time  been  deplorable,  the  year  1894  showing  a  deficit 
of  105,617  francs.  In  1897  M.  Chaplain,  who  succeeded  M. 
Baumgart,  resigned  in  disgust  and  an  inquiry  into  the  commer- 
cial and  artistic  depreciation  of  Sevres  was  ordered.  The  exhi- 
bition of  1900  was  sufficient  proof  that  so  far  as  the  artistic  part 
was  concerned  Sevres  had  resumed  her  old  position  as  the  leader 
in  the  ceramic  world.  Abandoning  the  traditional  output  the 
manufacture  of  gres  was  invested  with  a  dignity  which  might 
be  almost  termed  royal ;  flamme  reds  were  successfully  produced 
in  vases  4  feet  7  inches  high,  which,  considering  the  difficulty 
of  firing,  is  a  remarkable  achievement,     Crystalline  glazes,  ex- 


8o 


PARISIAN    POTTERS 


quisite  pieces  of  grand  feu  underglaze  painting  and  works  in 
pate-sur-pate  testified  to  this  renaissance  of  Sevres  and  form  a 
monument  to  the  ability  of  the  splendid  corps  of  painters  and 
sculptors  who  are  responsible  for  them. 

The  success  of  Sevres  and  the  discovery  of  kaolin  in  sev- 
eral French  provinces  led  to  the  establishment  of  manufac- 
tories in  all  parts  of  the  country.  In  some,  if  not  all,  respects 
these  all  imitated  Sevres  both  in  the  manufacturing  processes 
and  the  appropriation  of  shapes  and  patterns.  As  Chinese  por- 
celain had  been  the  model  of  the  earlier  manufactories,  that  of 
Sevres  served  the  same  purpose  to  the  secondary  ones.  In  Paris 
the  first  one  was  in  the  Faubourg  St.  Lazare,  1772,  by  Paul  Han- 
nong,  followed  by  the  Manufactorie  de  la  Courtille  (1773),  after- 
wards purchased  by  Pouyat  of  Limoges.  Clignancourt  (1775) 
produced  the  most  perfect  porcelain  of  that  period  and  nearly 
approaching  it  was  that  of  Porcelain  a  la  Reine  (1778),  patron- 
ized by  Marie  Antoinette.     Early  in  the  nineteenth  century  Guy 

&  Housel  controlled  this  manufac- 
tory. Guerhard  &  Dehl,  the  latter 
an  able  chemist,  founded  the  works 
in  the  Rue  de  Bondy  in  1789,  its 
products  being  known  as  Porce- 
laine  du  Due  d'Angouleme.  There 
was  also  a  manufactory  patronized 
by  the  Duke  of  Orleans  (1784); 
one  owned  and  managed  by  Nast, 
and  another  by  an  Englishman 
named  Potter,  who  later  was  the 
first  in  Paris  to  manufacture  Eng- 
lish earthenware.  The  rise  of 
Limoges  with  its  advantageous 
manufacturing  facilities  was  the 
death  knell  of  the  Parisian  potters, 
and  in  the  early  part  of  last  cen- 
tury Paris  only  retained  a  monop- 
oly of  the  decoration  of  the  porce- 
lain made  in  Limoges. 

In   the  provinces   Niederwiller 

and  Lille  were  the  most  important. 

The   former  was  under  the   direc- 

VASE   in    wedgwood   style      tion  of  the  Baron  de  Beyerle  from 

by  nast.  paris,  a.  d.  1 768  to  1780.     In  1793  Gen.  Count 

1780-1835.  de  Custine  became  the  owner  and 


A     POTTERY     PRIMER.  81 

was  succeeded  by  Lanfrey,  the  former  manager.  At  Lille  coal 
was  first  used  for  firing,  superseding  wood  in  1785.  The  prod- 
uct of  both  these  factories  almost  equaled  that  of  Sevres.  Joseph 
Robert  at  Marseilles  made  excellent  porcelain,  often  decorated 
with  sea  pieces.  Valenciennes,  founded  in  1785,  made  a  reputa- 
tion with  its  bisque  statuettes  and  groups.  Caen  had  a  porcelain 
works  founded  in  1798,  but  notwithstanding  the  excellence  of  its 
productions  it  only  existed  a  short  time.  There  were  also  two 
manufactories  at  Orleans  and  porcelain  was  made  at  the  Choisy- 
le-Roi  pottery. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

ENGLAND. 
ROMAN   POTTERY — ENCAUSTIC  TILES — JOHN   DWIGIIT SLIP   PAINT- 
ING  DELFT THE    ELERS SALT    GLAZE ASTBURY 

LIVERPOOL — ROCKINGHAM . 

Of  all  modern  nations  the  potters  of  England  have  exercised 
more  influence  in  ceramics  than  those  of  any  other  country. 
While  England  borrowed  freely  from  every  available  source,  her 
potters  were  never  content  to  become  mere  slavish  imitators,  but 
impressed  with  their  own  individuality  whatever  they  had  ap- 
propriated. Salt  glaze  stoneware  was  a  German  invention,  but 
it  was  in  Staffordshire  that  it  obtained  its  development.  It  was 
the  English  hard  flint  earthenware  that  changed  the  manufac- 
ture of  ware  for  domestic  purposes  the  world  over,  and  the  intro- 
duction of  bones  in  China  gave  a  body  which  has  never  been  sur- 
passed. Nor  was  the  activity  of  the  English  potter  confined  to 
his  own  country.  One  of  the  first  of  the  potters  of  Delft  was  an 
Englishman,  Tom  Jones,  and  many  of  the  French  potteries  were 
founded  by  English  potters.  He  also  invaded  Sweden,  Spain, 
Italy  and  Germany.  The  pottery  business  in  this  country  is,  or 
rather  was,  distinctively  English.  Bennett  built  the  first  pot- 
tery in  East  Liverpool,  and  his  contemporary,  Croxall,  was  an 
Englishman,  too. 

The  primitive  pottery  of  England  did  not  vary  much  from 
that  of  other  embryonic  nations.  That  of  the  ancient  Briton  con- 
sisted mostly  of  cinerary  urns  made  of  coarse  clay  mixed  with 
sand  and  probably  fired  in  the  funeral  pyre.  The  higher  civiliza- 
tion introduced  by  the  Romans  was  responsible  for  a  greater 
development  of  the  art.  The  potter's  wheel  came  into  use ; 
glaze  was  introduced,  and  the  ware  fired  in  regularly  constructed 


82  A  N  G  LO  -  R  O  M  A  N    P  O  T  T  E  R  Y  . 

kilns.     The  pottery  varied  considerably  in  character  at  the  three 
great  centers  of  production,  viz.,  the  Upchurch  Marshes  in  Kent, 
i  m  the  River  Nen  in  Northumberland  and  the  Salopian  potteries. 
The  Upchurch  ware  was  either  bluish-black  or  drab,  graceful  in 
form  and  ornamented  with  incised  lines  or  dotted  figures.     The 
Castor  or  Durobrivian  ware  of  the  Nen  was  even  more  carefully 
thrown  than  that  of  Upchurch  and  was  decorated  with  slip  fig- 
ures and  ornaments.     The  Salopian  ware  was  of  two  kinds,  the 
one    white,   the   other   a   light   red.     In   addition   to   these   three 
centers,  pottery  was  made  in  many  other  localities.     The  Anglo- 
Saxon  failed  to  carry  on  the  achievements  of  the  Romans  and  had 
apparently  an  aversion  to  pottery  for  domestic  purposes,  using 
wood  for  bowls  and  horn  for  drinking  vessels,  but  continued  the 
use  of  it  for  cinerary  urns.     This  apathy  to  the  fictile  art  seems 
to  have  continued  for  centuries,  and  one  must  pass  to  the  four- 
teenth century  before  finding  anything  worthy  of  notice.     At  this 
period   and  possibly  a  century  earlier  beautifully  designed  and 
]  totted  encaustic  or  inlaid  flooring  tiles  were  made  by  monastic 
orders,   and  their  manufacture  continued  until   the   seventeenth 
or  eighteenth    century.     The    art    was    probably    brought    from 
Europe,  but  nowhere  did  it  attain  greater  dignity  than  in  Eng- 
land.    The  design  was  first  impressed  in  the  clay  and  the  depres- 
sion filled  in  with  clay  of  another  color.     The  difficulty  of  regu- 
lating the  composition  of  these  clays  so  that  they  should  shrink 
equally  during  tiring  was  no  mean  task,  but  was  successfully  ac- 
complished,  while   the   designs   were  of  infinite  variety.     Many 
beautiful  pavements  of  these  encaustic  tiles  arc  in  existence  to- 
day and  can  be  seen  in  Westminster  Abbey,  Ely  Cathedral.  Chert- 
sey  Abbey  and  many  other  ecclesiastical  buildings.     While  there 
arc  a   few   examples  of  jugs,   etc.,   which   have  been   cautiously 
ascribed  to  the  same  source,  the  monks  do  not  appear  to  have 
availed    themselves   of   their  knowledge   of   clays   to   attempt   an 
impetus  in  pottery  for  household  purposes,  and  if  we  except  the 
green   glazed   pieces  ascribed  to   the   reign   of   Elizabeth    (1558- 
1603)   and  the  "gray-beards"  of  James  I   (1603-1625)   we  have 
again  nothing  worthy  of  note  until  we  come  to  the  Fulham  stone- 
ware of  John  Dwight  (1671).     Little  or  nothing  was  known  of 
this    Father   of  English   pottery   until    1862,   when   twenty-eight 
pieces  which  had  been  preserved  by  his  descedants  passed  into 
the  possession  of  Mr.  Baylis,  who  wrote  an  account  of  them  in 
the  Art  Journal.     A  subsequent  discovery  of  further  specimens 
and  much  valuable  documentary  matter  threw  further  light  on  his 
productions  and  methods,     M.  Solon  says:     "The  mythological 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


$3 


figures    in   imitation    of    bronze    are    especially    remarkable ;   the 
'Jupiter'   of   the   Liverpool   museum   and   the   'Meleager'   of   the 
British  Museum  are  worthy  of  an  Italian  artist  of  the  Renais- 
sance."    Dwight  was  a  man  of  education  and  must  have  been  a 
person  of  considerable  importance,  for  we  find  he  was  in  com- 
munication both  with  the  Elers  brothers  and  Count  Tschirnhaus. 
He  occupies  the  position  of  having  made  not  only  the  first  stone- 
ware made  in  England,  but  the  first  pottery  to  successfully  rival 
the  foreign  wares  on  which  the  English  had  had  to  rely,  and  his 
name  should  be  held  in  as  high  honor  as  that  of  any  of  the  illus- 
trious English  potters  who  followed  him.  Con- 
sidering the  times  in  which  he  lived,  he  rela- 
tively achieved  more,  and  his  influence  on  Eng- 
lish pottery  cannot  be  overrated.     The  Fulham 
pottery   was   continued  by  Dwight's   descend- 
ants until   1862. 

The   manufacture  of  stoneware  thus   in- 
itiated  spread   to   the   Midland   counties,   and 
that  of  the  brown  variety  become  localized  at 
Nottingham,  Chesterfield  and  Derby.     It  was 
fulham  stoneware,  there  that  the  black  bear  jugs  were  originated 

and  also  the  jugs  and  mugs  the  handle  of 
which  was  formed  as  a  greyhound.  The  Fulham  ware  was  largely 
imitative  of  Germany  models,  but  the  uneducated  potters  of  the 
Midlands  struck  a  more  original  note  with  their  plain  and  unpre- 
tending shapes. 

Slightly  antedating  and  contemporary  with  the  introduction 
of  stoneware  in  England  was  the  production  of  the  distinctively 
English  slip  painted  ware.  The  Romans  had  used  this  style  of 
ornamentation  in  England,  but  whether  there  was  any  connection 
between  the  two  has  not  been  demonstrated.  The  decoration  is 
applied  through  the  medium  of  a  little  spouted  vessel  filled  with 
slip,  to  the  spout  of  which  various  sized  quills  are  attached,  and 
through  these  quills  the  slip  is  allowed  to  trail  on  the  ware  in  the 
pattern  desired  by  the .  potter.  The  piece  was  usually  further 
embellished  with  a  number  of  small  knobs — Wrotham  in  Kent 
furnishes  the  earliest  dated  example,  1656.  The  Wrotham  ware 
is  generally  overloaded  with  ornament  and  is  often  inscribed  with 
the  name  of  the  place.  The  industry  did  not  last  there  very  long, 
but  spread  to  Cheshire  and  Derbyshire  and  finally  found  its  best 
expression  in  Staffordshire.  Thomas  and  Ralph  Toft  are  the 
names  best  known  there  in  connection  with  it.     The  articles  prin- 


84 


T Y G S ,    P  I  G G I N S    AND    CRADLES 


■*]&*}$&  *^m 


STAFFORDSHIRE    TYG. 


cipally  made  were  Posset  pots,  tygs,  piggins,  cradles,  candlesticks, 
jugs  and  large  dishes.    Posset  is  a  mixture  of  hot  ale,  milk,  sugar 

and  spices,  with  dice  of 
bread  or  oatcake,  the  tyg,  a 
tall  cup  with  many  handles ; 
the  piggin,  a  shallow  vessel 
with  a  long  handle  at  one 
side,  used  for  ladling  out 
the  liquor  brewed  in  the  tyg. 
These  tygs  were  made  at 
Wrotham  before  being 
made  in  Staffordshire,  but 
they  were  only  so  called  in 
the  latter  place.  It  is  prob- 
ably a  corruption  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  tigcl,  a  tile,  a  brick,  anything  made  of  clay,  a  pot,  a 
vessel.  Cradles  were  made  for  presentation  purposes,  and  it  is 
still  the  custom  to  present  a  cradle,  usually  of  silver,  to  the  Mayor 
or  other  official,  on  the  birth  of  a  child  during  his  tenure  of  office. 
This  slip  painting,  crude  as  it  was,  was  the  expression  of  a  rude 
art  by  men  who  had  nothing  but  their  own  initiative  to  depend 
upon,  and  is  valuable  as  being  the  prototype  of  the  exquisite  pate- 
sur-pate  decoration  of  the  present  day. 

The  success  of  Delft  was  an  incentive  to  the  English  potter 
to  produce  similar  wares,  and  there  are  small  wine  jars  said  to  be 
of  English  make,  one  of  which  is  dated  1652.  But  the  first  of- 
ficial record  is  of  a  patent  granted  to  John  Arians  van  Hamme 
in  1676,  for  making  "porcelain  after  the  way  practiced  in  Hol- 
land" at  Lambeth.  Quite  a  colony  of  potters  eventually  congre- 
gated here,  there  being  at  one  time  as  many  as  twenty  potteries. 


SLIP  DECORATED  CRADLE. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER.  ?5 

From  Lambeth  the  art— if  such  it  may  be  called — extended  to 
Bristol,  Liverpool  and  Staffordshire.  The  articles  made  were 
principally  for  utilitarian  purposes,  if  we  except  some  large  round 
dishes  usually  called  blue  dash  chargers.  These  latter  were 
coarsely  painted  with  figure  subjects,  mostly  celebrated  person- 
ages of  the  time.  Much  of  the  decoration  was  applied  with  a 
sponge,  and  around  the  edge  blue  is  roughly  daubed  on.  The 
English  Delft  at  best  could  not  compare  with  that  of  Holland. 
The  glaze,  or  enamel  rather,  was  poor  in  color  and  uneven,  the 
body  often  showing  through.  The  work  was  in  the  hands  of,  for 
the  most  part,  ignorant  persons,  and  unlike  the  slip-painted  ware, 
it  was  not  the  expression  of  an  uncultured  craftsman,  but  a  poor 
imitation  of  a  commercial  article  and  apparently  never  rose  above 
this.  The  best  was  made  at  Liverpool.  In  Staffordshire  the 
local  product  prevented  it  taking  any  firm  hold,  and  the  former 
gradually  superseded  it.  In  this  instance  the  English  potter 
failed  to  improve  on  an  adapted  process,  neither  impressing  it 
with  his  own  individuality  nor  adding  the  least  discovery  for  its 
improvement. 


ELERS  WARE. 

The  advent  of  the  Elers  brothers  in  England  was  perhaps 
more  far  reaching  in  its  influence  for  good  than  any  other  cir- 
cumstance connected  with  English  pottery.  John  Philip  and 
David  Elers  came  of  a  noble  family  of  Saxony.  Their  father  had 
been  Ambassador  to  several  European  courts  and  also  served  a 
term  as  burgomaster  of  Amsterdam.  When  William  of  Orange 
was  invited  to  become  King  of  England,  in  1688,  the  Elers  came 
in  his  train.  The  King  granted  a  pension  of  £300  a  year  to  their 
sister,  but  there  is  no  record  that  he  extended  his  patronage  'be- 
yond   this.     David    set   up   a    pottery    store    in    London.     John 


$6  ELERS    brothers. 

Philip  went  to  Staffordshire  and  founded  a  pottery  there.  We  do 
not  know  the  date  of  his  arrival,  but  he  had  long  been  at  work  in 
1698.  This  pottery  was  situated  at  a  lonely  spot  called  Bradwell 
Wood,  near  to  Burslem.  At  that  time  there  were  some  eighteen 
or  twenty  potteries  at  Burslem,  whose  productions  consisted 
mostly  of  butter  pots.  We  have  called  them  potteries,  though 
most  of  them  had  but  one  kiln,  and  the  working  force  consisted 
usually  of  the  potter  and  the  members  of  his  family.  These 
butter  pots  were  finished  at  one  fire  and  were  sent  mostly  by  pack 
horse  to  Uttoxeter  market.  If  the  potter  was  a  freeholder  of 
Burslem  he  had  a  right  to  take  what  clay  or  coal  he  wanted  from 
any  unenclosed  or  unenfranchised  land,  and  the  sides  of  the 
lanes  and  often  as  not  a  hole  in  the  street  furnished  all  he  needed 
of  both.  Many  of  these  holes  were  in  existence  as  late  as  1825. 
Rude  as  were  their  lives  and  products,  we  shall  see  that  there 
was  a  longing  for  something  better,  an  intangible  desire  for  im- 
provements. 

The  Elers  brought  with  them — if  indeed   David   ever  took 
any  share  in  the  pottery  work — new  methods,  artistic  taste  and 
culture.     It  is  scarcely  to  be  wondered  at  that  they  kept  aloof 
from  their  fellow-workers  and  so  zealously  guarded  their  pro- 
cesses that  only  workmen  of  the  most  ignorant  type  were  em- 
ployed.    When  the  ware  was  finished  it  was  sent  to  their  store- 
room and  residence  at  Dimsdale  Hall,  an  old  Elizabethan  house 
about  a  mile  distant,  and  from  there  to  David's  shop  in  London. 
There  are  but  few  genuine  specimens  of  Elers  ware  in  existence, 
and  these  are  of  a  very  hard  and  dense  red  stoneware  with  em- 
bossed ornaments.     This  decoration  was  applied  after  the  piece 
had  been  thrown  and  turned  by  putting  a  small  bit  of  clay  on  the 
desired  place  and  then  impressing  a  design  upon  it  from  an  in- 
taglio mold,  much  the  same  as  we  use  a  seal  on  sealing  wax.     The 
superfluous   clay   was   then   carefully   removed.     All   the  known 
specimens  are  small  pieces  such  as  cups  and  teapots.     Their  grace 
and  daintiness  were  nothing  short  of  a  revelation  to  the  Stafford- 
shire potter.     The  introduction  of  salt  glazing  in  England  has 
been  credited  to  the  Elers,  mostly  on  the  testimony  of  a  workman 
named  Steel,  aged  84,  who  told  Wedgwood  that  he  was  among 
those  who  ran  to  the  spot  when  the  Burslem  potters,  eight  in 
number,    as    narrated    in    Aitkins'    History    of    Manchester,    as- 
sembled  around    the    Elers   new   ovens    to   protest   against    the 
volumes   of   smoke   they    emitted.     A   potter    protesting   against 
smoke,  however  dense,  issuing  from  a  kiln  seems  somewhat  ludi- 
crous.    Moreover,  salt  glazing  does  not  produce  a  dense  smoke. 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER.  87 

Nor  has  any  specimen  of  salt  glaze  that  could  be  identified  as  Elers 
make  ever  been  found.  Between  Bradwell  Wood  and  Dimsdale 
Elers  established  communication  by  means  of  a  line  of  pipes  used 
as  a  speaking  tube.  A  few  years  ago  some  of  these  pipes  were 
found  and  they  are  not  salt  glazed.  Notwithstanding  this,  it  is 
quite  possible  the  credit  belongs  to  the  Elers,  for  it  was  shortly 
after  their  advent  that  the  practice  came  generally  into  use  in 
Staffordshire.  The  old  story  that  Palmer,  of  Bagnall,  in  1680, 
discovered  the  process  through  the  overboiling  of  a  pot  of  salt 
water,  which  caused  the  sides  of  the  vessel  to  become  glazed,  may 
be  definitely  dismissed  as  untenable.  We  might  just  as  well 
credit  it  to  Robinson  Crusoe,  who  was  amazed  to  find  the  inside 
of  one  of  his  pots  after  firing  it,  glazed  on  the  interior  and  who 
then  remembered  it  had  contained  a  little  sea  water. 

We  have  alluded  to  the  fact  that  Elers  employed  only  the 
most  ignorant  workmen,  the  better  to  guard  against  the  innova- 
tions he  introduced  becoming  known.  This  fact  was  taken  ad- 
vantage of  by  two  Burslem  potters,  Twyford  and  Astbury.  The 
latter  feigned  idiocy,  and  the  former  by  his  apparent  stolid  in- 
difference completely  deceived  his  employer.  It  must  have  meant 
eternal  watchfulness  for  these  two  men  to  play  their  parts  so  well 
as  to  avoid  detection.  So  well  did  they  succeed  that  they  were 
gradually  allowed  to  see  all  that  was  done,  and,  being  men  of  keen 
intelligence,  there  was  little  that  escaped  their  notice.  Having - 
„<™-,,  obtained     the     information    they    re- 

j0*:  %"l  quired,    and    they    are    said    to    have 

a^t-  '  worked  for  Elers  for  two  years,  the 

/,  .. \     two  men  left  his  employ.     We   shall 

meet  them  again  later  and  find  that, 
whatever  may  be  thought  of  their 
conduct  on  this  occasion,  Astbury  at 
least  partially  atoned  for  it  by  his  in- 
dependent experiments,  the  result  of 
which  had  a  lasting  influence  on  Eng- 

salt^glazVplate.  lish    P°ttery-      °f.  Twyford    little   is 

known,  though  his  descendants  are 
large  manufacturers  of  sanitary  ware  at  the  present  time.  Elers 
left  Staffordshire  about  1710,  going  first  to  Chelsea  and  after- 
ward to  Dublin,  but  he  did  not  again  engage  in  the  manufacture 
of  pottery. 

This  new  pottery  made  by  Elers  was  almost  identical  with 
that  made  by  Bottcher  some  years  later.  Both  are  described  as 
porcelain  before  that  word  had  a  more  specific  meaning,  each 


88 


S  .1  L  T    G  LA  Z  E     W  A  R  E 


lacking  the  important  qualification  of  translucency,  and  they  are 
more  properly  termed  stoneware. 

About  this  time  the  process  of  glazing  with  salt  became 
general  in  Staffordshire,  and  a  very  marked  improvement  took 
place.  Instead  of  the  heavy  German  stoneware,  the  English  pot- 
ter produced  articles  of  extreme  lightness,  it  being  his  effort  to 
create  something  that  should  rival  the  Oriental  ware  and  replace 
the  clumsy  Delft.  When  specimens  of  this  beautifully  made, 
salt-glazed  stoneware  first  came  to  the  notice  of  collectors  it  was 
erroneously  called  Elizabethan  ware.  Many  of  these  pieces  were 
made  in  copper  or  lead  molds,  which  were  made  so  as  to  stamp 
both  back  and  front  at  the  same  time,  and  by  this  means  pieces 
as  thin  as  wafers  were  made.  Others  were  cast  in  pitcher  or 
terra-cotta  molds,  as  plaster  molds  had  not  then  been  used  in 
Staffordshire.  These  pitcher  molds  always  gave  clean  and  well- 
cut  copies,  but  the  castings  was  tedious.     The  mold,  being  filled 


ENAMELED  SALT  GLAZE. 


ASTBURY   WARE. 


with  slip,  was  immediately  emptied,  leaving  a  thin  coating  of  clay 
on  the  sides.  When  this  was  nearly  dry  it  was  again  filled  and 
emptied,  and  this  was  repeated  until  the  necessary  thickness  of 
clay  was  obtained.  When  sufficiently  dry  the  mold  was  taken 
apart  and  the  piece  removed.  This  salt-glaze  ware  resulted  in  a 
great  extension  of  trade;  the  potteries  were  enlarged ;  larger  kilns 
built  to  keep  pace  with  what  had  now  become  an  important  in- 
dustry. Astbury  and  Twyford  took  the  lead,  and  others  identi- 
fied with  it  were  Thomas  and  John  Wedgwood.  In  addition  to 
these  stamped  and  cast  pieces,  much  was  thrown  on  the  wheel 
and  afterward  turned  and  ornaments  "sprigged"  on— that  is,  a 
small  design  was  made  from  a  mold  and  fastened  on  with  slip. 


A     POTTERY    P  R  I  M  E  R  .  89 

About  1750  this  salt-glaze  ware  was  decorated  in  colors  fired  in 
the  muffle  kiln.  The  manufacture  spread  to  Jackfield,  Leeds, 
Liverpool  and  Swansea. 

With  this  marked  advance  the  English  potter,  far  from  sit- 
ting down  in  contentment,  was  only  spurred  on  to  fresh  endeavor. 
All  kinds  of  clays  were  eagerly  tested  for  the  hitherto  unattain- 
able white  body,  and  this  was  accomplished  when  Astbury,  in 
1720,  discovered  the  use  of  flint,  and  Booth  thirty  years  later  in- 
troduced the  practice  of  dipping  the  ware  in  an  improved  glaze 
held  in  suspension  in  water.  This  was  the  foundation  of  the 
manufacture  of  English  earthenware,  an  industry  which  has 
spread  all  over  the  world.  Whieldon  (1740-1798)  greatly  im- 
proved its  quality.  While  white  local  clay  had  been  used  for 
the  manufacture  of  pipes,  it  had  not  been  used  for  ware  for  do- 
mestic purposes,  as  the  galena  which  was  used  for  glazing  gave  it 
a  dirty  grayish  appearance,  so  that  Astbury's  and  Booth's  dis- 
coveries were  necessary  for  its  fulfillment. 

Agate  ware,  a  distinctly  English  production,  was  first  made 
by  Dr.  Thomas  Wedgwood  (1731),  son  of  Thomas  Wedgwood  of 
the  Overhouse  Works,  Burslem.  In  this  the  marbling  instead  of 
being  on  the  surface  runs  through  the  body  and  is  made  by 
blending  together  different  colored  clays  and  then  transversely 
cutting  the  mass  in  thin  slices,  which  are  then  carefully  pressed  in 
the  mold.  When  glazed  with  blue  the  hue  of  agate  was  imparted 
to  them.  Both  Astbury  and  Whieldon  produced  this  ware  to 
perfection. 

Ralph  Shaw,  of  Burslem,  introduced  the  slip  kiln,  and  in 
firing  used  bits  of  stoneware  so  that  pieces  placed  one  inside  the 
other  could  not  stick  together,  leading  to  the  introduction  of  the 
stilts  now  used  for  that  purpose.  Failing  in  the  courts  to  sustain 
the  validity  of  a  patent  he  had  taken  out,  he  emigrated  to  France 
and  was  probably  one  of  the  Englishmen  who,  in  1775,  started 
the  manufacture  of  English  earthenware  at  Montereau. 

In  1740  Thomas  and  John  Wedgwood,  one  a  fireman,  the 
other  a  dipper,  established  themselves  at  Burslem.  Their  experi- 
ments with  clay  were  beneficial  to  the  whole  community,  for  they 
succeeded  in  classifying  their  qualities,  both  good  and  bad,  and 
henceforth  some  kind  of  system  could  be  observed,  which  re- 
sulted in  a  general  all-round  improvement. 

Thomas  Whieldon,  whom  we  have  before  alluded  to,  com- 
menced business  some  time  prior  to  1740  in  a  small  way  at  Fenton, 


90  IV  H  I  E  L  D  0  N  . 

and  by  his  skill  as  a  potter  became  the 
leading  manufacturer  of  the  time. 
His  productions  were  extremely  var- 
ious, including  the  well-known  tor- 
toiseshell,  which,  though  made  by 
many  other  manufacturers,  is  usually 
spoken  of  as  Whieldon  ware.  The 
same  might  almost  be  said  of  the 
Cauliflower  and  Melon  ware,  of 
which  such  large  quantities  were 
made.  The  body  had  now  become  so 
much  improved  that  the  potter  turned 
„.TTT,^,^,~  his    attention    more     particularly    to 

\\  IIIhLDON  .  ..       .  . 

shapes,  with  a  view  to  best  display  its 
qualities,  and  the  modelers  of  the  time  seem  to  have  derived  their 
inspiration  largely  from  nature,  leaves,  pineapples,  etc.,  being 
much  used.  Whieldon  must  have  been  a  man  of  great  discrimi- 
nation in  the  selection  of  his  apprentices,  for  Josiah  Spode, 
Robert  Garner,  J.  Barker  and  William  Greatbach  all  became  well- 
known  potters.  Wedgwood's  ability  he  also  recognized  and  made 
a  partnership  agreement  with  him  for  five  years.  We  know  that 
it  was  Wedgwood  who  compounded  the  green  glaze  so  ex- 
tensively used,  and  probably  he  was  responsible  for  much  more 
during  this  partnership  that  tended  to  Whieldon's  renown  and 
the  prosperity  of  the  trade. 

The  introduction  of  a  little  cobalt  or  zaffre  in  the  glaze  had 
made  the  body  much  whiter,  a  discovery  of  William  Littler  and 
Aaron  Wedgwood,  and  this  led  to  the  practice  of  painting  in 
enamel  colors.  There  were  no  trained  hands  among  the  Staf- 
fordshire  potters  for  this  work,  and  painters  were  brought  from 
Holland.  When  gold  was  added  it  was  done  by  means  of  gold 
leaf  fixed  with  a  hard  varnish,  and  it  was  not  until  toward  the 
end  of  the  eighteenth  century  that  the  burning  in  of  gold  was 
known  in  Staffordshire. 

Before  speaking  of  Josiah  Wedgwood  we  must  briefly  con- 
sider the  advance  of  the  art  in  other  parts  of  England,  having 
already  briefly  made  mention  of  the  brown  stoneware  of  Notting- 
ham and  the  Delft  ware  of  Bristol,  Liverpool,  etc.  To  the  latter 
city  we  must  turn  for  the  first  examples  of  transfer  printing  on 
pottery,  one  of  the  most  important  discoveries  ever  made  in  its 
decoration.  It  was  originally  used  by  Alderman  Jansen,  of 
Battersea,  on  enamels,  and  in  1750  Sadler  &  Green,  of  Liverpool, 
adapted  it  to  pottery.     A  cheap  and  effective  style  of  decoration, 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER. 


IM 


its  success  was  instantaneous,  and  the  Staffordshire  potters 
quickly  took  advantage  of  it  and  sent  large  quantities  of  their 
ware  to  the  patentees  to  be  decorated.  Among  these  was  Josiah 
Wedgwood  and  his  successors,  who  continued  to  have  ware 
printed  there  as  late  as  1799.  If  all  the  ware  credited  to  Liver- 
pool was  really  made  there  the  industry  must  have  been  very 
considerable,  even  if  we  only  consider  the  ware  made  specially 
for  America  and  mostly  commemorative  of  historical  events. 

While  the  Liverpool  pottery  is  seldom  marked,  an  exception 
must  be  made  to  that  of  the  Herculaneum,  the  word  being  usually 
impressed.  This  pottery  was  founded  about  1793  by  Richard 
Abbey  and  one   Graham,  but  three  year-   later  passed  into  the 


THE  BUTCHERS    ARMS,  LIVERPOOL. 

hands  of  Worthingham,  Humble  &  Holland,  who  enlarged  the 
works.  Its  products  were  varied  and  consisted  of  Queensware, 
black  basaltes,  green  glaze  and  printed  ware.  About  1834  the 
liver,  the  crest  of  Liverpool,  was  adopted  as  a  trade-mark. 

The  cream-color  ware  of  Staffordshire  was  also  made  at 
Leeds,  two  brothers  named  Green  founding  a  factory  there  in 
1753.  It  is  principally  remarkable  for  its  basket  and  pierced  ware 
which  obtained  a  great  vogue.  Its  printed  ware  dates  from  about 
1780,  and  both  gold  and  silver  lusters  were  also  made.  The 
Leeds  ware  was  beautifully  potted  and  was  of  a  rich  cream 
color,  a  little  darker  than  Wedgwood's  queensware. 

The  Rockingham  pottery,  Swinton,  near  Rotherham,  was 
founded  in  1745,  but  only  made  bricks,  etc.,  until  1765,  when  the 
manufacture  of  pottery  was  commenced.     The  works  are  called 


92 


J  0  S I  A  H    WEDGWOOD. 


after  Charles,  Marquis  of  Rockingham.  It  was  not,  however, 
until  1796,  that  what  was  then  called  "brown  china"  was  pro- 
duced. This  was  the  regular  cream-color  body  covered  with 
a  rich  purple  brown  glaze,  the  color  being  obtained  from  man- 
ganese and  a  little  iron.  Brameld  was  the  last  owner  of  the 
works,  which  were  closed  in  1843.  The  glaze  on  this  Rocking- 
ham ware  is  not  uniform,  but  delicately  varied,  obtained  by 
dipping  it  several  times,  and  was  of  a  much  higher  quality  than 
the  Rockingham  ware  of  to-day.  Green,  of  Leeds,  had  also  a 
pottery  at  Swinton  (founded  1790),  its  products  being  almost 
identical  with  that  of  Leeds.  In  1796  Ralph  Wedgwood  joined 
the  firm  of  Tomlinson  &  Co.  at  Ferrybridge,  and  the  name  was 
changed  to  "Wedgwood  &  Co."  At  Sunderland  and  Newcastle  a 
very  coarse  purple-gold  luster  was  smeared  on  the  ware,  many 
pieces  with  transfer  prints  being  disfigured  in  this  way.  There 
were  many  other  places  where  potteries  were  established,  but 
their  productions  do  not  call  for  special  notice,  adding  nothing 
either  in  novelty  or  advance  to  what  already  existed. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

JOSIAII   WEDGWOOD. 

In  our  brief  review  of  Staffordshire  pottery  we  have  seen 
how  prominently  the  name  Wedgwood  occurs,  but  it  was  reserved 
to  Josiah,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Wedgwood,  born  in  1730,  to 
make  it  the  best  known  and  the  greatest  in  the  history  of  English 

pottery.  His  life  has  been  told 
so  many  times  and  told  so  well 
that  the  briefest  outline  is  all  we 
shall  give  here.  We  have  al- 
ready seen  how  much  progress 
had  been  made  through  the 
cumulative  discoveries  of  his 
predecessors.  The  native  clays 
had  largely  been  superseded  by 
those  of  Devon  and  Cornwall. 
The  body  had  become  hard  and 
compact  by  the  addition  of  flint; 
the  method  of  grinding  flint  in 
water  was  known  ;  the  whiteness 
of  the  glaze  had  been  height- 
ened by  the  addition  of  zaffre; 


JOSIAH    WEDGWOOD,    F.R.S. 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER.  93 

it  was  used  held  in  suspension  in  water  instead  of  being  applied 
as  a  dry  powder,  and  there  was  practically  nothing  to  add  to  the 
body  made  by  such  potters  as  Whieldon  to  increase  either  its 
utility  or  beauty. 

Josiah  was  the  youngest  of  the  large  family  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  Wedgwood,  and  was  born  July  12,  1730.  His  father  died 
in  1739,  and  Josiah  shortly  after  had  to  make  his  start  in  life 
with  the  very  rudimentary  education  with  which  a  year  or  two  of 
schooling  had  furnished  him.  His  brother,  Thomas,  had  suc- 
ceeded to  the  Churchyard  works,  and  here  at  an  early  age  he  was 
set  to  work  as  a  thrower.  His  skill  soon  attracted  the  attention  of 
his  fellow  workmen  so  rapid  was  his  progress.  In  1741  he  had  a 
severe  attack  of  smallpox,  which  affected  his  right  knee,  which 
never  completely  healed.  For  a  time  he  resumed  his  work  as  a 
thrower,  but  having  to  sit  with  his  leg  extended  on  a  stool  before 
him,  it  so  hampered  his  position  at  the  wheel  that  he  was  obliged 
to  abandon  the  thrower's  bench  and  went  to  the  molder's  board. 
The  ailment  of  Wedgwood  proved  a  blessing  in  disguise,  for  un- 
able to  share  in  the  sports  of  the  day  he  set  his  mind  to  studying 
the  laws  and  secrets  of  his  art.  He  made  experiments  with  all 
the  clays  he  could  procure  and  endeavored  to  find  some  new  way 
of  ornamentation.  His  brother  resented  what  he  looked  upon  as 
a  loss  of  time,  and  though  Josiah  worked  for  him  as  a  journey- 
man after  the  expiration  of  his  apprenticeship,  when  at  maturity 
he  received  the  modest  competence  of  £20,  bequeathed  him  by 
his  father,  he  sought  a  freer  field  in  which  to  indulge  his  aspira- 
tions. Accordingly  he  entered  into  partnership  with  a  potter, 
Thomas  Alders,  and  John  Harrison,  a  Newcastle  tradesman, 
who  furnished  the  bulk  of  the  money.  The  little  pottery  at  Cliff 
Bank,  Stoke-upon-Trent,  was,  however,  only  operated  for  two 
years,  when  Harrison  withdrew  and  shortly  afterwards  it  was 
pulled  down.  About  1752  Wedgwood's  talents  were  recognized 
by  Thomas  Whieldon,  of  the  Fenton  Hall  Works,  the  best  potter 
of  the  day,  who  took  him  into  partnership.  He  devoted  himself 
to  modeling  and  improving  the  various  tortoiseshell,  agate  and 
cauliflower  ware  then  being  produced.  It  was  here  that  he  in- 
vented the  green  glaze  which  immediately  became  popular.  His 
knee  still  affected  him  and  caused  frequent  absences  from  the 
works,  and  it  became  necessary  to  impart  the  formula  of  this 
glaze  to  others,  with  the  result  that  it  soon  became  common  prop- 
erty. Whieldon  retired  in  1759,  having  made  a  fortune,  and  the 
partnership  was  dissolved.  The  following  year  Wedgwood 
rented  a  portion  of  the  Ivy  House  Works,  Burslem,   from  his 


94 


WE P G  WOOD    A  T    E  T  R  U  R  I  A 


distant  cousins,  John  and  Thomas  Wedgwood,  at  a  rental  of  £10 
a  year,  the  working  premises  consisting  of  two  kilns,  a  few  sheds 
and  the  ivy-covered  cottage.  Here  he  made  his  green  glaze,  his 
tortoiseshell  and  perforated  plates.  Their  beauty  and  careful 
finish  brought  their  natural  reward  in  the  way  of  increased  busi- 
ness. The  increase  in  his  working  force  called  for  larger  prem- 
ises, so  he  took  the  Brickhouse  Works,  better  known  as  the  Bell 
Works,  the  site  of  which  is  now  partly  occupied  by  the  Wedg- 
wood Memorial.  One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  that  confronted 
Wedgwood  was  the  carelessness  of  the  workmen,  but  with  in- 
finite patience  he  at  last  succeeded  in  making  them  appreciate  the 
joy  of  producing  carefully  made  and  finished  ware,  and  turned 
what  had  been  a  crew  of  roystering  workmen  into  an  ardent 
band  of  craftsmen.  Another  difficulty  was  the  transportation  of 
the  ware.  Roads  virtually  there  were  none  ;  they  were  mere  lanes, 
wretched  at  all  times  and  utterly  impassable  in  bad  weather.  Ma- 
terials were  brought  from  a  distance  chiefly  on  pack  horses,  and 
the  manufactured  articles  were  returned  in  the  same  way.  The 
lowest  charge  was  eight  shillings  a  ton  for  ten  miles.  The  goods 
were  often  pilfered  on  the  way,  which  was  infested  by  highway- 
men, and  all  these  things  made  the  conducting  of  manufacturing 
extremely  hazardous.  So  Wedgwood  busied  himself  success- 
fully, in  a  good  roads  movement,  and  did  not  cease  his  activity 
until  fairly  good  roads  led  out  of  Burslem  in  all  directions  and  the 
canal  connecting  the  Trent  and  the  Mersey  was  an  accomplished 
fact.  In  the  meantime  work  at  the  pottery  had  gone  on  with 
surprising  vigor,  the  workmen  had  now  allotted  duties  instead  of 
being  everything  in  turn,  mode  of  production  was  simplified,  tools 
were  improved  and  materials  were  carefully  selected.  In  1766 
Wedgwood  took  into  partnership  Thomas  Bentley,  a  Liverpool 
merchant  of  good  education,  artistic  taste  and  polished  manners. 
Again  the  works  had  not  sufficient  capacity,  and  Wedgwood  built 
new  ones,  and  a  house  at  the  village  which  he  founded  under  the 
name  of  Etruria,  entering  into  possession  of  them  in  1769.  It 
was  here  he  invented  his  celebrated  jasper  ware,  which  was  first 
so  called  in  1776,  a  year  or  so  after  its  discovery.  There  were 
several  shades  of  blue,  lilac,  pink,  sage  green,  olive  green,  yellow 
and  black,  the  yellow  being  the  least  frequent,  the  colors  being 
produced  with  metallic  oxide.  On  this  were  applied  designs  in 
relief  exactly  in  the  same  way  used  by  Astbury  and  his  successors. 
This  "sprigging,"  as  it  is  termed,  is  a  distinctly  English  process 
introduced  in  Staffordshire  by  the  Elers.  At  first  Wedgwood, 
following   the   prevailing  taste,   copied   from   casts   of   engraved 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER 


95 


gems  of  Greek  or  Roman  origin,  and  later  worked  more  directly 
from  the  originals,  employing  the  best  talent  he  could  secure,  not 
only  in  adapting  designs,  but  in  creating  original  work.  Con- 
sidering the  tremendous  vogue  this  jasper  ware  had  it  seems  open 
to  comment  that  the  number  of  copied  designs  is  very  largely  in 
excess  of  original  ones.  Of  the  latter  those  designed  by  John 
Flaxman,  engaged  by  Wedgwood  in  1775,  are  the  most  esteemed. 
Another  celebrated  modeler  was  William  Hackwood,  whose  me- 
dallions of  Wedgwood  and  his  relations  and  of  many  local 
celebrities  are  evidently  characteristic  likenesses.  The  well- 
known  Portland  vase  was  reproduced  by  Wedgwood  in  1790. 
Originally  fifty  copies  were  issued,  and  it  has  since  been  published 
at  intervals.  Its  vogue  has  never  been  satisfactorily  explained. 
Its  shape  is  certainly  clumsy  and  inelegant,  the  figures  under  a 
microscope  show  coarseness  of  texture  instead  of,  as  in  the 
original,  revealing  hidden  beauties.  Like  many  more  of  Wedg- 
wood's jasper  pieces  it  may  be  termed  "dully  scholastic."     The 

Egyptian  black  ware  of  Wedg- 
wood was  a  great  improve- 
ment on  that  already  made 
and  was  most  successful 
when  ornamented  in  reliefs 
in  white  jasper.  It  was  also 
decorated  on  its  unglazed 
surface  with  enamel  colors,  a' 
process  which  notwithstand- 
ing its  inartisticness  is  still 
followed.  His  red  ware, 
made  from  the  clay  at  Brad- 
well  Wood,  the  same  as  used 
by  the  Elers,  never  equaled  in 
color  or  fineness  of  grain  that 
made  by  these  pioneer  potters 
nearly  a  century  earlier.  The 
cream  color  ware  he  greatly 
improved,  giving  to  English 
earthenware  a  tremendous 
impetus.  This  was  decorated 
in  enamels  in  well-chosen 
designs,  and  when  Queen 
lamp  in  Egyptian  black  ware.  Charlotte  ordered  a  service  of 
wedgwood.  it,    it    became    known    in    her 


96        WEDGWOOD'S    C  H  A  R  A  C  T  E  R  I  S  T  I  C  S  . 

honor  as  Queensware.  Wedgwood  was  not  a  chemist,  for  chem- 
istry as  applied  to  pottery  was  then  an  unknown  quantity.  He 
was  a  man  of  surprising  energy,  of  indomitable  will;  he  had  the 
faculty  of  ganging  public  taste  and  ministering  to  it.  His  love 
for  his  art  dominated  him ;  he  recognized  its  possibilities  and 
strove  to  accomplish  them.  The  dominant  note  was  perfection 
of  workmanship ;  no  poorly  finished  piece  was  allowed  to  leave 
his  pottery ;  the  concealed  parts  must  be  as  perfect  as  the  re- 
vealed. His  improvements  were  the  improvements  of  the  dis- 
trict, for  he  never  took  out  but  one  patent,  and  that  one  of  small 
importance.    We  yield  to  none  in  our  admiration  of  Wedgwood  as 


PHAETIION   AND  THE  CHARIOT  OF  THE  SUN. 
By.   G.   Stubbs,   R.   A.,   1783. 


a  potter  and  a  keen  business  man,  and  England  and  the  world 
owe  him  a  deep  debt  of  gratitude,  but  the  claims  of  those  who 
preceded  him  cannot  in  all  fairness  be  overlooked. 

Wedgwood  married  a  distant  connection,  Sarah  Wedgwood, 
in  1764.  Four  years  later  his  leg  had  to  be  amputated,  and  hence- 
forth he  stumped  through  life  on  a  wooden  leg.  His  eyesight,  too, 
troubled  him  greatly,  and  the  tender  ministrations  and  loving  care 
of  his  wife  form  a  beautiful  chapter  in  their  history.  He  died 
January  3,  1795,  aged  65.  A  few  years  previously  he  had  ad- 
mitted into  partnership  his  three  sons,  John,  Josiah  and  Thomas, 
and  his  nephew,  Byerly,  under  the  style  of  Josiah  Wedgwood. 


A    P  O  T  T  ERY    P  R  I  M  E  R  .  97 

Sons  &  Byerly.  The  management  was  assumed  by  the  latter 
and  continued  to  his  death  in  1810.  In  1823  the  third  Josiah 
Wedgwood  entered  the  firm,  to  be  joined  by  his  brother  Francis 
in  1827,  and  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Josiah  Wedgwood  & 
Sons.  John  Boyle,  one  time  partner  with  Herbert  Minton,  and 
Robert  Brown,  were  both  partners  for  a  limited  term  of  years. 
Later  the  firm  consisted  of  Godfrey,  Clement  and  Lawrence 
Wedgwood — Clement  died  in  1889  and  Godfrey  in  1908.  The 
firm  now  consists  of  Lawrence,  Cecil,  son  of  Godfrey,  and  Francis 
Hamilton,  son  of  Clement. 

In  1858  Messrs.  Wedgwood  were  fortunate  enough  to  secure 
the  services  of  M.  Emile  Lessore,  an  artist  who  at  the  Royal 
Sevres  Works  had  attempted  to  introduce  a  more  artistic  style 
of  decoration  than  then  existed.  This  caused  so  much  dissention 
and  jealousy  among  the  artists  that  in  1858  he  went  to  England 
and  entered  the  service  of  Mintons,  but  soon  removed  to  the 
Wedgwood  pottery.  His  work  was  and  is  highly  appreciated 
and  sought  after  by  connoisseurs,  but  the  climate  not  suiting  him 
he  returned  to  France.  He  continued  to  produce  work  for  the 
Wedgwoods  until  his  death  in  1876. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Thomas  Allen,  a  figure  painter  of  force 
and  originality,  became  art  director  and  his  undoubted  artistic 
taste  was  soon  apparent  in  the  productions  of  the  firm.  Mr. 
Allen  had  previously  been  connected  with  Minton's  and  painted  - 
many  of  the  figure  subjects  on  tessera  which  adorn  the  South 
Kensington  Museum.  The  old  Etruria  pottery  stands  sub- 
stantially to-day  as  Josiah  left  it,  many  of  the  old  models  are  still 
in  use  and  it  is  possible  to-day  to  obtain  replicas  of  many  of  the 
designs  first  executed  years  ago. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

TURNER WILLIAM    ADAMS CONTEMPORARIES    OF    WEDGWOOD. 

The  success  achieved  by  Wedgwood  was  an  incentive  to  the 
other  manufacturers  of  the  district  to  improve  their  production 
and  not  only  in  England  but  on  the  Continent  of  Europe  he  had 
a  host  of  imitators.  The  classical  style  then  in  vogue  was 
adapted  by  all,  and  there  is  in  consequence  a  great  similarity  be- 
tween the  works  of  Wedgwood  and  his  school.  Some  of  these 
were  men  who  had  sufficient  initiative  to  produce  original  works, 
others  did  not  hesitate  to  reproduce  both  Wedgwood's  shapes  and 
designs,    The  same  source  of  inspiration  was  open  to  all,  and 


98 


WILLIAM    ADAMS. 


WILLIAM  ADAMS. 


there  was  really  no  occasion  for  slavish  copies.  Sir  William 
Hamilton's  designs  of  classic  vases  and  other  similar  works  were 
open  to  all,  andVedgwood  and  his  contemporaries  freely  availed 
themselves  of  these  sources. 

In  this  school  two  names  stand  out 
preeminently,  viz.,  Turner  and  Adam.s. 
John  Turner,  of  Lane  End  (1762- 
1786),  made  jasper  which  equaled 
that  of  Wedgwood,  though  made  from 
a  different  formula,  while  equal  praise 
may  be  bestowed  upon  his  black  ba- 
salts. Adams  was  a  personal  friend 
of  Wedgwood,  and  at  one  time  worked 
for  him,  and  during  that  period  con- 
siderably improved  the  jasper  body. 
He  is  many  times  mentioned  by 
Wedgwood,  and  always  in  terms  of 
praise  and  friendship.  He  left  Wedg- 
about  1780,  fifteen  years  before  the 
death  of  the  latter.  The  Adams  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  con- 
nected with  the  pottery  trade  in  Staffordshire.  John  Adams,  of 
Burslem,  who  married  in  1654,  built  the  Brick  House  Works,  the 
first  brick  house  in  Burslem,  afterwards  tenanted  by  Wedgwood. 
There  were  four  Staffordshipe  potters  named  William  Adams, 
who  may  be  differentiated  as  follows :  William  Adams,  Green- 
gates,  Tunstall,  1745-1805;  William  Adams,  Brick  House  Works, 
Burslem,  1748-183*.;  William  Adams,  Stoke,  1772-1829;  William 
Adams,  Greenfield,  1798-1865. 

The  first  three  were  cousins,  the  last  two  father  and  son. 
But  it  was  William  Adams,  of  Greengate,  who  was  the  potter 
par  excellence.  The  Adams  blue  jasper  was,  if  possible,  finer  in 
color  than  Wedgwood's  and  became  known  as  Adams  blue,  and 
is  conceded  by  Miss  Meteyard,  the  biographer  of  Wedgwood,  to 
be  of  "extraordinary  beauty." 

A  flams  also  made  fine  stoneware,  which  he  invariably 
finished  with  a  black  or  brown  glaze  band.  This  was  highly 
esteemed,  and  was  often  thought  worthy  of  a  silver  mount.  Our 
illustration  will  convey  some  idea  of  the  artistic  manner  in  which 
the  Adams  stoneware  jugs  were  made.  Adams  also  invented  the 
Mocha  ware,  which  was  largely  copied  and  which  was  being 
made  by  five  or  six  potters  in  1820.  It  had  a  great  vogue  at  the 
time  and  is  still  made.  Its  distinguishing  feature  is  a  band  of 
colored  slip  on  which  has  been  applied  another  colored  slip  of 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


"9 


VASE,     gy2     IN.,     BLUE 

AND  WHITE  JASPER, 

I/90     PERIOD. 


greater  density,  which  spreads  out  on 
the  slip  band  in  the  form  of  a  fibre  or 
tree.  The  article  to  be  decorated  is  in- 
verted and  both  slips  must  be  quite  wet. 
Tobacco  juice  was  employed  to  make  the 
second  slip  eat  its  way  into  the  lower 
one,  but  now  specially  prepared  Mocha 
colors  are  used,  one  of  which  rejoices  in 
the  name  of  "Black  Jack." 

Among  the  jasper  manufacturers  of 
the  eighteenth  century  two  firms  have 
been  singled  out  as  little  better  than 
pirates,  viz.,  Neale  &  Palmer  and  Voyez, 
the  latter  being  also  accused  of  stamping 
his  ware  with  Wedgwood  &  Bentley's 
name.  There  seems  but  little  evidence 
to  support  this  charge.  Voyez  was  a 
clever  modeler,  he  had  worked  both  for 
Palmer  and  Wedgwood,  and  the  same  source  of  inspiration  from 
which  Wedgwood  drew  so  largely  was  open  to  everyone.  Mr. 
Rathbone,  a  noted  expert  on  old  Wedgwood,  says :  "None  of 
such  forgeries  are  ever  met  with,  and  in  no  instance  is  the  actual 
form  or  even  color  copied."  So 
there  has  probably  been  with- 
held from  these  firms  the  meed 
of  praise  to  which  they  were 
justly  entitled.  Contemporaries 
of  Wedgwood  were  Enoch  Wood 
(1783-1818),  Job  Ridgway,  John 
Davenport,  Josiah  Spode,  Thos. 
Minton  and  others,  all  of  whom 
made  their  impress  on  English 
ceramic  art,  and  whose  descend- 
ants, except  in  the  case  of  Daven- 
port, are  to  the  present  day  carry- 
ing on  the  work  for  which  they 
laid  such  strong  foundations.  We 

shall  defer  more  extended  notices     an   i8th  century  blue  and 
of   these   houses   until   we   have        white  jasper  cup,  with 
mentioned   the   early   china    fac-  sheffield-plate  rim. 


100 


ENGLISH    CHINA 


tones,  which  will  bring  us  to  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
and  the  story  of  both  china  and  earthenware  can  then  be  more 
easily  taken  up,  as  few  of  the  leading  houses  confined  themselves 
to  one  branch  alone.  This  variety  of  production  is  characteristic 
of  the  English  potters,  it  not  being  at  all  unusual  for  china,  earth- 
enware, stoneware  and  parian  to  be  made  by  one  firm. 


BOW  SOUP  TUREEN,  WHITE. 

South  Kensington  Museum. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

ENGLISH  CHINA CHELSEA — BOW DERBY WORCESTER C0ALP0RT 

MINOR    CHINA    WORKS LOWESTOFT — PLYMOUTH BRISTOL. 

This  most  important  part  of  all  English  china  is  prepared  by 
burning  bones  in  contact  with  the  air.  During  the  firing,  when 
the  materials  begin  to  combine  at  a  certain  heat,  the  bones,  being 

phosphate  of  lime,  which  can- 
not be  destroyed  by  the  silica, 
melt,  without  combining,  into 
a  sort  of  semi-transparent 
enamel,  and  being  intimately 
mixed  in  the  mass  give  trans- 
lucency.  Previous  to  the  use 
of  bones  the  Bow  factory 
used  a  clay  from  the  Cherokee 
country,  U.  S.  A.,  called  by 
the  natives  unaker. 

The  origin  of  the  Bow  pot- 
tery is  uncertain,  the  first  patent  of  which  we  have  any  knowl- 
edge being  taken  out  in  1744  by  Edward  Heylyn,  of  Bow,  and 
Thomas  Frye,  of  West  Ham,  Essex.  Frye,  who  was  a  painter, 
was  manager  of  the  works  until  1759,  when  on  account  of  ill 
health  he  resigned.  He  died  in  1762.  In  1770  the  Chelsea  works 
were  bought  by  William  Duesbury,  of  Derby,  and  he  also  ac- 
quired the  Bow  works  in  1776.  The  factory  at  Derby  had  been 
in  existence  some  years  prior  to  1756,  when  we  know  that  Dues- 
bury  was  in  partnership  with  John  Heath. 

The  production  of  these  three  potteries  did  not  vary  consider- 
ably, and  it  is  often  difficult  to  distinguish  them,  especially  after 
the  migration  of  the  workmen  from  Chelsea  and  Bow  to  Derby 
and  the  use  there  of  the  molds  and  patterns  formerly  used  in  the 
two  potteries. 

The  existence  of  China  clay  in  England  being  unknown, 
the  early  English  potter  desirous  of  emulating  the  production 
of    Sevres    and    Meissen,    like    the    early    French    potters,    had. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


101 


to  compound  a  body  from  various  ingredients,  which  led  to 
the  designation  artificial  porcelain.  We  have  no  definite  informa- 
tion respecting  the  founding  of  these  English  china  works,  but  the 
first  dated  example  is  a  goat  and  bee  jug  marked  "Chelsea,  1745." 
Before  the  two  bearing  this  mark  came  to  light,  this  had  always 
been  ascribed  to  Bow,  the  New  Canton  works,  as  they  were  called. 
There  is  a  certain  excellence  of  manufacture  in  this  which  in- 
dicates that  the  works  had  been  some  time  established,  probably 
by  Dutch  workmen,  for  the  first  two  managers  of  whom  we  have 
any  knowledge  were  Charles  Gouyn  and  Nicholas  Spirmont,  both 
undoubtedly  of  Flemish  origin.  During  the  first  period  of  the 
Chelsea  works,  up  to  1757,  the  body  had  considerable  translucency, 
a  large  amount  of  glassy  frit  being  used  and  when  held  to  a 

strong  light  exhibits  ir- 
regularly disposed 
moonlike  discs  of  great- 
er translucency  than 
the  rest.  The  works 
were  closed  during 
1758,  but  resumed  in 
the  year  following, 
when  the  body  became 
phosphatic,  that  is,  it 
contained  bone  ash.  The 
important  discovery  of' 
ibones  as  a  constituent 
part  of  the  body  must 
be  credited  to  the  Bow 
factory,  the  patent  taken 
out  by  F.  Frye,  November  17,  1748,  clearly  indicating  it.  This 
'  discovery  has  been  generally  credited  to  Josiah  Spode,  the  younger 
(1797-1800),  but  erroneously,  for  in  addition  to  its  use  at  Bow 
and  Chelsea,  The  Handmaid  of  the  Arts,  in  1780,  gives  us  a 
formula  for  a  china  body.  White  sand  or  calcined  flints,  finely 
powdered,  20  pounds ;  white  potash,  5  pounds ;  bones  calcined  to 
perfect  whiteness,  2  pounds. 

The  earlier  Chelsea  wares,  from  1750  to  1780,  are  considered 
the  best,  the  inspiration  coming  from  Oriental  and  Continental 
sources,  sometimes  being  adaptations,  sometimes  exact  copies, 
even  to  the  mark  underneath.  After  1780  or  1790  the  simplicity 
of  the  former  wares  ceased  and  for  want  of  intelligent,  artistic 
direction  there  was  a  marked  deterioration  in  all  English  china. 
Especially  was  gold  used  in  such  an  indiscriminate  manner  as  to 


CHELSEA-DERBY,     COMPOTIER. 


,,,_.  i)  n  r  s  y . 

amount  to  sheer  vulgarity.  Professor  Church,  in  his  ''English 
Porcelain,"  says:  "The  decoration  of  old  English  porcelain  is 
often  bad  from  the  want  of  power  and  knowledge  in  the  decora- 
tor, often  from  want  of  feeling,  and  often  from  want  of  training 
in  the  sound  principles  of  ornamentation.  From  one  or  other  of 
these  defects  arises  bad  quality  of  color  and  inharmonious  ar- 
rangements of  colors;  debasement  or  misapplication  of  forms 
originally  good  and  appropriate;  extravagant  decoration,  espe- 
cially in  the  way  of  overmuch  gilding,  by  which  attention  is  dis- 
tracted from  the  more  important  decorative  motifs  of  the  pieces; 
hard  and  mechanical  handling  of  the  brush.  *  *  *  Even  in 
the  darkest  times,  however,  may  be  traced  now  and  then  a  happy 
gleam  of  fancy,  even  a  flash  of  original  imagination." 

An  anchor  in  relief  in  a  raised  oval  cartouche  is  the  Chelsea 
mark  found  usually  on  the  earlier  pieces.  An  anchor  roughly 
pencilled  in  gold  or  colors  and  varying  in  size,  belongs  to  the  later 
period  and  was  continued  until  the  close  of  the  works.  The 
anchor  was  also  used  by  Bow  accompanied  by  a  dagger  and  pieces 
painted  by  Frye  often  bear  his  initials.  An  encased  triangle  was 
also  used  and  this  is  found  on  Chelsea  pieces  with  "Chelsea"  in 
script  underneath. 

William  Duesbury  was  a  painter,  or,  as  he  is  described,  "an 
enameler,"  from  Longton,  and  became  connected  with,  the  Derby 
pottery  in  1756.  It  must  then  have  been  in  existence  several 
years,  though  its  origin  is  very  obscure.  Beyond  published  ad- 
vertisements of  sales  of  the  pottery  product,  including  "figures 
after  the  finest  Dresden  models,"  and  the  fact  that  the  business 
had  so  increased  as  to  necessitate  the  enlargement  of  the  pottery 
in  1758,  we  have  very  little  information  about  this  pottery  until 
1769  or  1770,  when  Duesbury  became  the  owner  of  the  Chelsea 
works  and  six  years  later  that  of  Bow.  Duesbury  died  in  1786 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  William,  who  managed  the  works 
alone  until  1798,  when  he  took  into  partnership  Michael  Kean,  a 
miniature  painter.  He  died  in  1796  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
son,  William  Duesbury,  the  third  of  that  name.  In  1815  the 
works  were  leased  to  Robert  Bloor,  who  continued  them  until 
1848,  when  the  original  business  ceased  to  exist.  Bloor  was  an 
entirely  different  type  of  man  to  the  three  Duesburys,  who  during 
their  administration  had  been  careful  not  to  allow  any  imperfect 
pieces  to  be  sold.  There  was  consequently  a  large  accumulation 
of  such  pieces  and  Bloor  auctioned  these  off,  both  in  London  and 
at  the  pottery,  realizing  a  large  sum  of  money  from  the  sales.  It 
also  served  to  demonstrate  how  quickly  goods  could  be  disposed 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER 


103 


the  principal 
He  was  ap- 
in    1774   and 


of  in  this  manner;  it  was  a  "get-rich-quick"  scheme  and  there  was 
at  once  a  marked  falling  off  in  the  finish  of  the  product,  resulting, 
as  was  inevitable,  in  the  closing  of  the  works. 

The  successive  productions  of 
Derby  are  known  as  Derby,  Chelsea- 
Derby,  Crown  Derby  and  Bloor  Derby. 
The  best  available  painters  and 
modelers  were  employed,  among  the 
former  being  William  Billingsley,  the 
flower  painter,  who  at  one  time  or 
another  worked  at  all 
English  china  works, 
prenticed  to  Duesbury 
worked  at  Derby  nearly  twenty-five 
years.  His  work  is  deservedly  very 
highly  esteemed.  A  large  number  of 
statuettes  and  groups  were  produced, 
some  richly  though  not  inartistically 
decorated  in  colors  and  gold,  but  the 
best  were  in  white  biscuit  of  a  high 
degree  of  excellence,  and  in  the  pro- 
duction of  which  Derby  had  no  rival. 
Some  of  them  have  exquisite  lace  work 
on  the  dresses  similar  to  those  of 
Dresden.  Real  lace  is  dipped  in  slip 
and  then  draped  on  the  unfired  fig- 
ures, the  fabric  burning  away  and  leaving  its  counterpart  in  the 
delicate  porcelain.  In  breakfast  and  dessert  services  a  rich  blue 
was  frequently  used  as  a  ground  on  which  other  brilliant  enamel 
colors  were  superimposed,  usually  of  Japanese  character  and 
traced  out  in  gold.  The  best  period  of  this  style  belongs  to  the 
close  of  the  eighteenth  and  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  centuries. 
Other  services  were  decorated  with  flowers,  figures,  etc.,  by  such 
artists  as  Billingsley,  Askew  and  others.  These  latter  were 
simple  in  their  border  designs,  sometimes  gold  leafage  on  a  blue 
band  or  simple  festoons  in  pink. 

Prior  to  1848  some  of  the  old  employees  joined  together  and 
put  into  a  common  stock  what  money,  skill  or  tools  they  pos- 
sessed and  started  business  under  the  style  of  Locker  &  Co.  In 
1859  Locker  died  and  the  name  was  changed  to  Stevenson  &  Co. 
and  later  to  Hancock  &  Co.  and  is  now  carried  on  by  Sampson 
Hancock  alone. 

In  1877  Mr.  Edward  Phillips,  of  the  Worcester  Porcelain 


DERBY,  DIANA  STATUETTE 
IN  WHITE  BISCUIT. 


I04  -1/  ODERN    DERBY  . 

Co. ;  Mr.  Wm.  Litherland,  a  Liverpool  china  dealer,  and  Mr.  John 
M  climes  formed  a  company  with  a  capital  of  £68,000  to  revive  the 
lost  glories  of  Derby.  The  first  works  were  on  the  Osmaston 
Road,  but  the  Derby  poor  house  coming  into  the  market,  they 
purchased  it.  and  converted  it  into  a  pottery.  It  was  not,  how- 
ever, until  1880  that  it  was  in  working  order  and  old  Derby  shapes 
and  decorations  were  produced.  Mr.  Phillips  died  in  1881  and 
Mr.  Litherland  in  1882  and  the  active  control  of  the  works  was 
vested  in  Henry  Litherland  and  Edward  Mclnnes.  In  1889  the 
Duke  of  Devonshire  assisted  them  in  procuring  permission  to  use 
the  \yord   Royal  and  the  name  is  now  the  Royal  Crown  Derby 


OLD  DERBY. 

Courtesy  of  Keramic  Studio. 

Porcelain  Co.,  Ltd.  While  much  that  was  good  of  the  old  Crown 
Derby  has  been  reproduced,  the  management  have  by  no  means 
confined  their  activities  to  mere  reproductions,  but  much  original 
work  is  produced,  some  of  it  evidence  of  the  finest  craftsmanship, 
and,  as  a  rule,  the  product  compares  favorably  with  anything 
made  by  their  predecessors. 


WORCESTER. 

The  Worcester  factory,  or,  as  it  was  called,  "The  Worcester 
Tonquin  Manufactory,"  had  its  birth  in  politics.  The  Georgian 
party  to  increase  their  voting  strength  resolved  on  a  manufactory 
of  some  description.  They  came  in  contact  with  Dr.  John  Wall, 
a  clever  chemist,  and  William  Davis,  an  apothecary,  who  had  for 
some  time  been  engaged  in  experiments  in  making  china,  and  the 
scheme  for  a  china  manufactory  was  launched  (1751).  Having 
no  kaolin,  a  frit  was  used  in  conjunction  with  pipe  clay,  for  which 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


105 


steatite  was  afterward  substituted.  The  enterprise  was  conducted 
with  great  secrecy,  no  visitors  were  allowed  and  even  the  keys 
of  the  inner  and  outer  doors  were  not  kept  by  the  same  person - 
The  early  productions  were  copies  or  adaptations  of  blue  and  white 
Nankin  patterns  of  a  simple  character.  In  1756  the  invention  of 
printing  on  biscuit-ware  was  practiced,  having  been  brought  there 
by 'Robert  Hancock,  an  engraver  of  Battersea,  though  an  attempt 
was  made  by  J.  Holdship,  one  of  the  original  partners,  to  claim 


LILY  PATTERN  PLATE. 


the  invention.  The  printing  process  was  largely  used  for  political 
purposes,  portraits  of  prominent  men  of  the  day  finding  a  ready 
sale.  In  dinner  ware  the  Lily  pattern  was  the  first  one  engraved, 
it  having  previously  been  painted  and  it  has  uninterruptedly  con- 
tinued in  use  up  to  the  present  day,  in  itself  a  sufficient  criterion  of 
its  excellence.  The  early  transfer  prints  are  noticeable  for  their 
fine  engraving,  which  sensibly  deteriorated  as  the  practice  of  color- 
ing them  increased.  About  the  year  1764  many  Chelsea  workmen 
went  to  Worcester  and  their  influence  soon  manifested  itself,  the 
products  plainly  showing  the  Chelsea  influence.  The  coveted 
apple  green  of  Sevres,  the  rich  bleu  de  roi  ground  with  salmon 
scale  markings,  the  paintings  of  exotic  birds  and  the  elaborate 
but  tasteful  gold  borders  are  of  this  period  and  bear  evidence  of  a 


io6 


WORCESTER 


cultivated  taste.  Dr.  Wall  died  in  1776  and  the  remaining  mem- 
bers of  the  company  continued  the  manufacture  until  1783,  when 
they  disposed  of  the  works  to  their  London  agent,  Thomas  Flight. 
In  1788  George  III.  with  three  princesses  visited  the  factory, 
which  then  gained  the  title  of  the  Royal  Porcelain  Works,  a  war- 
rant confirmed  by  Queen  Victoria  in  1883.  Speaking  of  this 
period,  Professor  Church  says:  "The  artistic  decadence  of  the 
ware  began  during  this  period  (1783-1793),  although  the  pottery 
and  workmanship  remained  excellent.  But  the  heavy  pseudo- 
classic  form,  the  labored  painting  and  exuberant  gilding  that  were 
then  in  vogue  gradually  displaced  the  last  traces  of  the  grace, 
freedom  and  simplicity  of  the  earlier  time.  Some  changes  had 
been  made  in  the  firm  consequent  on  the  death  of  John  Flight,  in 
1791,  which  only  call  for  mere  noting. 

Flight  &  Barr,  1793  to  1807. 

Barr,  Flight  &  Barr,  1807  to  1813. 

Flight,  Barr  &  Barr,  1813  to  1840. 


SCALE  PATTERN. 


This  was  the  last  phase  of  the  original  Worcester  Co.,  which 
came  pretty  near  to  extinction.  In  1786  Robert  Chamberlain,  the 
first  apprentice  Worcester  ever  had,  started  in  business  on  his 
own  account  and  was  so  successful  that  the  old  firm  to  save  itself 
amalgamated  with  him  in  1840.  The  partnership  was  dissolved 
in  1847,  tne  old  factory  being  closed.  In  1850  Mr.  F.  Lilly  and 
Mr.  Kerr  became  partners  and  two  years  later  were  joined  by 
Mr.  R.  W.  Binns,  when  Mr.  Chamberlain  retired  and  the  firm 
name  became  Kerr  &  Binns.  In  1862  Kerr  &  Binns  disposed  of 
their  business  to  the  present  joint  stock  company,  "The  Worcester 
Royal  Porcelain  Co.,  Ltd,"     Mr.  Kerr  retired  and  to  Mr.  Binns 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


107 


was  intrusted  the  position  of  art  director,  an  office  he  honorably 
filled  until  1897,  when,  although  retaining  his  seat  on  the  board, 
he  retired  from  active  management. 

Among  the  other  productions  during  the  Chamberlain  period 
may  be  mentioned  that  of  porcelain  buttons,  which  was  discon- 
tinued on  account  of  some  dispute  about  the  machine  used  for 
making  them  and  also  that  of  encaustic  tiles,  the  manufacture 
of  which  was  transferred  to  Messrs.  Maw  &  Co.,  of  Broseley,  in 
185 1.     There  is  quite  a  little  diversity  in  the  Worcester  pastes 


MODERN   WORCESTER. 


which  helps  to  distinguish  the  various  periods,  the  standard  finally 
adopted  being  phosphatic  similar  to  the  other  English  china  manu- 
facturers. In  all  the  multitudinous  productions  of  Worcester  there 
is  one  striking  characteristic — craftsmanship,  the  most  minute 
care  being  bestowed  on  every  little  detail  and  whatever  may  be  the 
criticisms  on  patterns  or  design,  there  cannot  be  any  on  the  work- 
manship. The  beautifully  embossed  patterns  rival  the  best  ef- 
forts of  the  Chinese.  The  enamels  of  the  late  Mr.  Bott,  executed 
in  1854  and  following  years,  are  veritable  triumphs  of  pottery 
and  to-day  command  large  prices.  These  were  mostly  executed 
in  white  enamel  on  a  rich  blue  ground,     Mr.  Bott  died  in  1870. 


io8  C  O  A  LP  O  RT  . 

The  jeweled  ware  of  Worcester  is  considered  superior  to  that 
of  Sevres,  being  a  more  ceramic  production.  The  ivory  porcelain 
(1863)  was  made  the  medium  for  many  elegantly  shaped  vases, 
etc.,  which  were  decorated  in  bronzes  and  colored  golds  and  be- 
came so  popular  that  the  market  was  flooded  with  imitations,  some 
with  a  certain  degree  of  merit,  others  mere  caricatures  of  the 
original,  but  it  had  the  effect  of  forcing  the  Worcester  Ivory  out 
of  the  market,  at  least  as  far  as  this  country  is  concerned.  The 
most  artistic  and  successful  use  of  this  ivory  body  was  the  ap- 
plication of  Japanese  motifs  which  have  and  will  be  regarded  as 
the  best  work  of  this  historic  house.  This  and  the  enamels  be- 
fore referred  to  are  sufficient  in  themselves  to  make  the  adminis- 
tration of  Mr.  R.  W.  Binns  a  memorable  one.  Worcester  has 
usually  been  regarded  as  a  "vase"  house,  though  always  active 
in  the  more  utilitarian  lines,  and  at  this  writing  the  whole  ar- 
tistic force  under  the  skilful  guidance  of  Mr.  E.  P.  Evans,  is 
concentrated  in  this  direction  and  at  least  one  notable  success  has 
been  achieved.  This  is  termed  Intaglio.  Very  chaste  designs 
modeled  in  low  relief  are  covered  with  grounds  of  the  most 
beautiful  color,  the  effect  being  very  rich  and  charming  and 
distinctly  novel.  At  present  this  decoration  will  be  confined 
to  service  plates,  cups  and  saucers,  etc.  No  less  noteworthy  is 
their  new  Sabrina  ware,  some  lovely  effects  being  obtained  by 
saturating  the  porcelain  with  metallic  salts,  the  color  from  which 
develops  in  the  fire,  occasionally  crystallizing  and  always  produc- 
ing results  Which  cannot  be  repeated,  thus  giving  it  a  distinction 
not  otherwise  obtainable.  These  beautiful  color  effects  are  used 
in  combination  with  paintings  of  birds,  etc. 

COALPORT. 

About  the  time  that  the  Worcester  works  were  founded  a 
china  works  was  started  at  Caughley,  Shropshire,  by  a  man  named 
Gallimore,  though  little  is  known  of  him.  He  was  succeeded  in 
1772  by  Thomas  Turner,  of  Worcester.  An  apprentice  of  the 
latter,  John  Rose,  started  a  small  pottery  at  Jackfield  further  up 
the  river,  but  soon  moved  to  Coalport,  on  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  river  from  Caughley,  where  there  had  previously  been  a  small 
pottery  conducted  by  a  man  named  Young.  The  pottery  was  a 
success  from  the  first  and  Turner  being  unable  to  compete  with 
his  young  rival,  the  Caughley  plant  was  disposed  of  to  Mr.  Rose. 
John  Rose  died  in  1841  and  was  succeeded  by  his  nephew,  who 
was  in  turn  succeeded  by  Mr.  Pugh.  On  the  death  of  the  latter 
a  good  deal  of  litigation  ensued.     There  was  no  competent  super- 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER.  109 

vision  and  the  firm  was  in  danger  of  extinction  when  it  was  bought 
by  C.  C.  Bruff  (1889),  who  formed  a  limited  liability  company, 
with  Mr.  Gelson  as  manager  and  J.  J.  Bott,  of  Worcester,  as 
the  art  director.  The  Swansea  works  were  absorbed  by  John  Rose 
in  1820  and  a  few  years  afterwards  he  purchased  the  Nantgarw 
works  Which  had  been  founded  by  Derby  workmen.  A  good 
quality  of  porcelain  was  made  by  Turner  and  he  also  used  a  rich, 
deep  blue  for  printing.  Rich  gilding  was  employed  and  the 
products  generally  equaled  those  of  Worcester  from  which  it  is 
difficult-  to  distinguish  them.  Chinese  subjects  were  also  ex- 
tensively used.  Thomas  Minton,  an  engraver,  who  afterwards 
founded  the  historic  works  at  Stoke  upon  Trent,  worked  for 
Turner.  At  Coalport  every  effort  was  made  to  produce  the  best 
possible  results  and  some  really  beautiful  colors  were  realized. 
Considering  its  isolation,  it  is  remarkable  that  it  should  have 
risen  to  the  high  position  it  did  and  does  occupy  and  it  is  a  fav- 
orable commentary  on  the  loving  care  bestowed  on  its  produc- 
tions. Some  of  the  artists  who  helped  to  establish  Coalport  fame 
are  Hartshorn,  landscape  painter;  Cook,  flowers;  Randall,  birds, 
and  Billingsley,  who  worked  there  until  his  death  in  1828.  It  is 
to  this  factory  we  owe  the  Blue  Dragon,  Worm  Sprig,  Tournay 
sprig  and  Berlin  chain  patterns.  During  the  many  changes 
in  the  proprietary,  the  firm  has  always  been  known,  as  it  is  to- 
day, as  John  Rose  &  Co.  Very  little  of  the  old  Coalport  is 
marked — A  C.  was  sometimes  used  and  also  the  initials  C.  D. 
and  C.  B.  D.  The  present  mark  is  a  crown  with  the  words  "Coal- 
port A.  D.  1750." 

The  John  Randall  alluded  to  lived  to  be  over  one  hundred 
years  old.  He  was  born  September  1,  1810,  and  died  November 
16,  1910.  He  was  also  a  geologist  and  the  author  of  several 
works  relating  to  Shropshire,  the  best  known  being  "Clay  In- 
dustries of  Salop"  and  "History  of  Broseley.''  He  first  worked 
at  Davenports. 

MINOR  CHINA  WORKS. 

Scattered  over  the  country  were  a  number  of  small  china 
works.  One  at  Pinxton,  founded  in  1795,  found  its  best  ex- 
pression under  William  Billingsley,  who  left  there  in  1800,  after 
which  the  body  was  coarser  and  the  decorations  more  roughly 
drawn.  At  Church  Gresley,  in  Leicestershire,  Sir  Nigel  Gresley 
founded  a  china  works  in  1795.  Good  results  must  have  been 
obtained  as  Queen  Charlotte  ordered  "the  handsomest  dinner 
service  he  could  make,"  but  it  was  never  executed,  potting  dif- 


no  LOWESTOFT. 

ficulties  being  encountered  which  led  to  financial  loss  and  the 
works  were  closed  in  1808.  At  the  Rockingham  works  china  was 
made  from  about  1820  to  1842.  A  vase  in  the  South  Kensington 
Museum  measures  three  feet  two  inches  in  height,  the  flower 
painting  of  which  is  of  extraordinary  fineness  as  to  drawing  and 
color.  Dessert  service,  biscuit  statuettes,  cups  and  saucers,  etc., 
were  also  made.  The  Nantgarw  works,  nine  miles  from  Cardiff, 
were  founded  about  1813  by  George  Walker  and  William  Bil- 
lingsley,  where  they  made  a  beautiful  soft  translucent  body.  It 
was  decorated  principally  with  birds  and  flowers.  Vases  were 
rarely  made,  the  product  principally  consisting  of  plates,  fancy 
dishes,  cups  and  saucers,  etc.  The  works  were  sold  to  John  Rose, 
Coalport,  in  1820,  and  both  Walker  and  Billingsley  went  to  work 
there.  Another  manufactory  of  china  was  carried  on  at  Nant- 
garw after  this  by  W.  W.  Young,  but  nothing  is  known  of  the 
products. 

The  Swansea  china  closely  resembles  that  of  Nantgarw  and 
probably  the  formula  was  sold  by  Billingsley  to  Mr.  L.  W. 
Dellvyn,  of  the  Cambrian  pottery.  China  was  only  made  there 
from  1814  to  1817.  The  works  passed  to  John  Rose  in  1820. 
W.  W.  Young,  a  clever  draughtsman,  painted  sprays  of  flowers, 
natural  size  with  great  skill  and  natural  fidelity.  Occasionally 
these  sprays  were  engraved  and  printed  and  the  details  filled  in 
by  hand.  Bisque  statuettes  were  also  made.  Dellvyn  gave  up 
the  manufacture  of  porcelain  to  Mr.  Bevington  in  1817. 

A  pottery  at  Lowestoft  was  started  in  1756  by  Hewlin  Lew- 
son  to  utilize  the  clays  of  the  district,  workmen  from  London  be- 
ing brought  there.  Gillingwater,  in  his  history  of  Lowestoft, 
says  the  London  potters,  fearing  competition,  bribed  the  work- 
men to  spoil  the  ware,  but  that  notwithstanding  this  unhandsome 
treatment  a  further  attempt  was  made  the  following  year  by 
Messrs.  Walker,  Brown,  Alfred  and  Rickman,  which  met  with  no 
better  success  than  the  first.  The  culprits  were,  however,  dis- 
covered and  the  factory  established  on  a  firm  foundation,  and  in 
1770  a  depot  in  London  was  established.  In  1775,  the  works 
were  under  the  management  of  the  second  Robert  Brown  and 
must  have  attained  a  degree  of  excellence  as  Wedgwood  was 
sufficiently  interested  to  make  some  purchases. 

The  products  resembled  those  of  Chelsea  and  Bow,  as  was 
proved  by  the  discovery  a  few  years  ago  on  the  site  of  the  works, 
of  broken  pieces  and  moulds  from  which  they  had  been  made; 
and  it  is  probable  that  many  pieces  ascribed  to  Chelsea  were  made 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER. 


in 


at  Lowestoft.  Up  to  1789,  the  decorations  were  entirely  in  blue, 
when  they  gave  way  to  a  finer  and  higher  class  of  goods.  Two  of 
the  painters  employed  were  Robert  Allen  and  a  Frenchman, 
named  Rose.  The  rose  is  a  frequent  decoration,  perhaps  from 
the  fact  that  the  Tudor  rose  occurs  in  the  arms  of  the  borough. 
Much  that  we  would  call  souvenir  china  was  made  bearing  the 
inscription  "A  Trifle  from  Lowestoft"  or  "Yarmouth,"  as  the 
case  may  be.  "The  paste  is  slightly  yellowish  by  transmitted 
light,  the  glaze  being  rather  bluish  and  not  over  bright.  There 
are  specks — black  spots  on  most  of  the  pieces  while  the  blue  is  of 
a  dull  cast."  The  works  were  closed  in  1803  or  1804,  com- 
petition, the  failure  of  their  London  agent  and  the  destruction  of 
a  large  quantity  of  their  ware  in  Holland  during  the  invasion  of 
Napoleon  rendering  this  action  imperative. 

It  has  been  stated  so  often  that  it  seems  scarcely  necessary 
to  repeat  that  the  ware  of  Oriental  paste  largely  decorated  with 
heraldic  devices,  initials,  etc.,  was  neither  made  nor  decorated 
at  Lowestoft.  It  probably  obtained  its  name  from  the  fact  that 
Lowestoft  was  the  port  of  entry.  Holland  at  that  time  being 
the  principal  importer  of  Chinese  merchandise  and  Lowestoft 
being  on  the  Eastern  coast  was  the  most  convenient  port  of  entry 
from  that  country. 

China  was  made  at  Liverpool  as  early  as  1769  by  R.  Chaffers, 
Christian  and  Seth  Pennington  and  we  know  that  in  the  latter, 
bones  formed  part  of  the  paste.  It  was  also  produced  at  the 
Herculaneum  works  in  1800. 


HARD  PORCELAIN. 

China  clay  (Koalin)  was  first  discovered  in  Cornwall,  Eng- 
land, in  1755,  by  William  Cookworthy,  a  man  of  good  education 
and  whose  powers  of  observation  enabled  him  to  recognize  it  and 
to  differentiate  it  from  the  fusible  felspathic  stone.     He  had  been 

interested  in  the  subject  for  some 
years  and  on  making  this  dis- 
covery obtained  a  patent  and 
founded  the  Plymouth  works  in 
1768,  Thomas  Pitt,  afterwards 
created  Lord  Camelford,  furnish- 
ing the  necessary  capital.  These 
works  were  only  carried  on  until 
1770  or  177 1,  when  they  were  re- 
ply  mouth  :  salt  cellar,  moved  to  Bristol.  In  1773  Rich- 
white  shell  work.  ard  Champion,  who  had  been  ex- 


112 


BRISTOL 


perimenting  since  1765,  bought  Cookworthy's  patent  and  the 
works  were  conducted  by  him  until  1782.  The  Plymouth  products 
did  not  reach  a  high  degree  of  perfection,  there  was  a  large  loss 
both  in  making  and  firing  and  the  glaze  was  dull  and  thick.  A 
French  painter,  named  Soqui  or  Sequoi,  was  employed.  Shells 
were  freely  used  as  motifs  for  salt  cellars,  etc.,  and  other  pro- 
ductions included  busts,  statuettes,  vases  and  table  services.  The 
output  cannot  have  been  very  considerable,  but  it  is  noteworthy 
as  being  the  first  works  in  England  where  true  porcelain  was  made. 
In  1772,  the  Bristol  china  was  advertised  as  being  "wholly 
free  from  the  imperfections  in  wearing  which  the  English  china 
usually  has  and  its  composition  as  equal  in  fineness  to  the  East 
Indian,   and   will   wear  as   well.     The  enameled   ware   which   is 


BRISTOL  FIGURE. 


BRISTOL  HEXAGONAL  VASE. 


rendered  nearly  as  cheap  as  the  English  blue  and  white  equals 
the  Dresden,  which  this  work  more  particularly  imitates."  Ex- 
isting specimens  confirm  this  and  show  that  the  imitation  also  in- 
cluded the  Dresden  mark.  The  most  characteristic  productions 
of  Bristol  were  oval  or  round  placques  with  flowers  and  foliage 
in  full  relief,  "which  constitute  the  most  marvelous  triumphs  of 
ceramic  skill  which  has  ever  been  produced  in  this  style  of  orna- 
ment.*' They  are  much  finer  than  the  biscuit  flowers  made  at 
Derby.  Many  beautiful  figures  and  statuettes  were  made,  some 
of  which  were  colored  and  others  left  white.  The  hexagonal 
vase  illustrated  is  twelve  inches  high,  or  with  the  cover  sixteen 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER.  113 

inches,  and  these  often  had  perforated  necks.  Occasionally  they 
have  colored  or  salmon  scale  grounds.  Some  very  beautiful 
services  were  made  for  the  table,  the  decorations  were  usually 
rich,  but  in  good  taste.  The  most  celebrated  of  these  was  a  tea 
set  presented  to  Mrs.  Edmund  Burke.  For  some  reason  the 
public  did  not  show  much  appreciation  of  the  Bristol  products 
and  it  never  received  the  aristocratic  patronage  given  to  Chelsea 
and  Worcester  and  it  seemed  impossible  to  make  the  works  a 
pecuniary  success.  This  led  to  the  production  of  the  Bristol 
cottage  china,  which  commanded  a  ready  sale.  It  is  thin  in  sub- 
stance and  simply  decorated,  mostly  with  scattered  bouquets  of 
flowers  and  a  border  of  festooned  ribbons. 

In  1781  Champion  disposed  of  his  patent  to  seven  Stafford- 
shire potters.  The  paste  of  Bristol  china  is  of  milky  whiteness 
and  of  great  hardness,  caused  by  the  high  proportion  of  silica  in 
its  composition. 

The  purchasers  of  the  patent  continued  the  manufacture  of 
porcelain  at  the  New  Hall  Works,  Shelton,  under  the  style  of 
Hollins,  Warburton  &  Co.,  but  the  decorations  were  poor  and 
clumsy,  and  in  1820  the  body  was  changed,  bones  being  intro- 
duced, and  the  works  were  closed  in  1825. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

THE  MAYERS THE  WOOD  FAMILY — DAVENPORT LITTLER — 

LUSTERS. 

Undoubtedly  Wedgwood  in  addition  to  what  he  effected  for 
English  pottery  as  an  art,  converted  it  into  a  manufacture  of 
commercial  importance  and  was  the  first  of  a  large  number  of 
eminent  potters  whose  work  is  by  no  means  to  be  overlooked.  In 
addition  to  those  we  have  mentioned  there  were  many  others, 
some  of  whom  found  no  successors  to  carry  on  their  work,  whilst 
others  have  weathered  the  storms  of  time  and  are  honored  names 
to-day,  with  records  extending  over  a  century. 

Elijah  Mayer,  Hanley,  probably  descended  from  Hugh  or 
John  Mayer,  who  were  potters  there  early  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury, made  both  jasper  and  basalte  ware,  the  latter  certainly  equal- 
ing that  of  Wedgwood.  The  name  is  a  familiar  one  in  Stafford- 
shire. Thomas  Mayer  had  the  Cliff  Bank  Works  at  Stoke  in 
1829,  and  three  brothers,  John,  Thomas  and  Jos,  succeeded  Joseph 
Stubbs  at  the  Dalehall  Works  in  1836.  They  introduced  print- 
ing in  four  or  five  colors.  The  sons  of  Jos.  Mayer  came  to  this 
country  and  now  conduct  a  business  at  Beaver  Falls,  Pa. 


ii4  THE     W  0  O  D    FAMILY. 

Wood  is  also  a  familiar  name.  The  first  of  this  name  of 
whom  we  have  any  record  was  Ralph  Wood  of  Burslem  in  the 
eighteenth  century.  He  made  a  large  number  of  groups  and 
statuettes  among  which  may  be  mentioned  a  bust  of  Washington, 
"The  Vicar  and  Moses,"  "The  Vicar  and  His  Clerk,"  etc.  He  also 
made  granite,  or  porphyry  ware,  made  by  attaching  to  the  sur- 
face small  pieces  of  different  colored  clays  which  were  then 
smoothed  and  glazed.  His  son  Aaron,  was  apprenticed  to  Dr. 
Thomas  We  Igwood,  in  1731,  and  attained  a  great  reputation  as 
a  block  cutter  and  mold  maker.  In  conjunction  with  William 
Littler  he  made  the  first  blue  salt  glaze  which  resembled  the  finest 
lapis  lazuli.  His  son,  William,  born  in  1741,  was  also  a  skillful 
modeler  and  mold  maker,  and  most  of  the  useful  articles  made  by 
Wedgwood  at  Etruria  were  his  production.  He  spent  his  life 
and  gave  his  talents  to  the  furtherance  of  Wedgwood's  interests, 
for  many  years  at  the  munificent  sum  of  £70  a  year,  when 
harassed  by  debts  and  fearful  of  ending  his  days  in  the  poor  house 
his  pay  was  increased  to  £106  a  year.  His  brother  Enoch  com- 
menced business  for  himself  at  the  old  Swan  Bank  in  Burslem, 
1783,  and  in  1790  was  joined  by  James  Caldwell.  This  continued 
until  1818,  when  the  firm  was  changed  to  Enoch  Wood  &  Sons. 
Enoch,  one  of  the  sons,  also  dealt  in  borax  and  amassed  a  large 
fortune.  On  his  withdrawal  from  the  firm  there  was  but  little 
capital  left,  and  in  1846  the  other  brothers  went  out  of  business. 
Enoch  Wood,  the  elder,  was  familiarly  known  as  "The  Father 
of  the  Potteries."  His  busts  and  statuettes  are  well  known,  and 
many  of  the  best  of  the  rich  deep  blue  American  historical  pieces 
were  made  by  him.  In  addition  to  being  a  good  potter  he  was 
an  enthusiastic  collector  of  Staffordshire  wares,  and  his  collec- 
tion and  his  copious  notes  are  the  basis  of  much  of  our  knowl- 
edge of  early  Staffordshire  wares.  His  works  were  known  as  the 
Fountain  Place  works  and  were  later  occupied  by  Pinder  Bourne 
&  Co.,  and  are  now  run  by  Messrs  Doulton  &  Co. 

Davenport  will  always  be  a  name  high  on  the  roll  of  honor 
in  English  ceramics.  John  Davenport  commenced  business  at 
Longport  in  1794,  at  the  works  formerly  occupied  by  John  Brind- 
ley,  brother  of  James  Brindley,  the  famous  engineer.  He  greatly 
improved  the  body  of  English  china — an  improvement  which 
could  not  be  furthered  during  the  eighty  years  it  was  made  from 
the  same  formula.  He  died  in  1834,  leaving  the  business  to  his 
two  sons,  William  and  Henry.  The  latter  died  in  1869,  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  son,  Henry,  under  whose  management  the 
works  gradually  decayed  and  were  finally  sold  at  auction. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


"5 


SILVER  LUSTER. 

Courtesy  of  Keramic  Studio. 


RESIST  LUSTER. 
Courtesy  of  Keramic  Studio. 


COPPER  LUSTER. 

Courtesy  of  Keramic  Studio 


n6  LUSTERS. 

William  Littler  of  Longton  Hall,  was  making  china  from 
1752  to  1758,  but  how  much  longer  we  do  not  know.  The  body 
was  similar  to  that  of  the  early  Chelsea  and  did  not  contain  bone. 
A  very  rich  blue  streaked  and  run  is  a  characteristic  of  this  china, 
and  plates  and  dishes  with  vine-leaf  decorations.  William  Dues- 
bury,  afterwards  of  Derby,  was  connected  with  the  Longton 
Hall  Works.  The  mark  was  a  cross  L.  with  three  dots  under- 
neath.    Specimens  of  this  china  are  quite  rare. 

According  to  Jewitt,  John  Hancock  first  used  lusters  when 
working  for  Spode  some  time  after  1769,  the  date  of  his  ap- 
prenticeship. At  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  they 
were  made  by  nearly  every  manufacturer  in  Staffordshire.  Some- 
times the  whole  surface  of  the  piece  inside  and  out  was  covered 
with  a  thin  coating  of  silver  and  when  the  Georgian  models  of 
the  silversmiths  were  used,  the  pieces  closely  resembled  genuine 
silverware — or  a  design  of  leaves  and  flowers  was  applied  in  a 
preparation  not  affected  by  the  silver  and  the  remainder  covered 
with  that  metal.  This  gave  the  effect  of  a  white  pattern  on  a 
silver  ground  and  such  pieces  are  known  as  "resist  luster."  The 
copper  was  also  applied  on  a  solid  ground,  but  more  often  with 
bands,  ovals,  etc.,  either  white  or  colored,  on  which  patterns  were 
printed  or  roughly  painted,  or  embossed  designs  highly  colored 
were  introduced.  This  manufacture  assumed  considerable  im- 
portance and  though  generally  abandoned  has  never  entirely 
ceased"  such  firms  as  Charles  Allerton  &  Sons  having  continu- 
ously produced  it.  For  a  time  the  secret  of  the  silver  luster  seems 
to  have  been  lost,  or  perhaps  it  would  be  more  correct  to  say  that 
no  effort  was  made  'by  those  who  could  do  so  to  resurrect  it,  but 
the  demand  having  arisen  it  has  been  filled  and  now  silver  lusters 
are  again  a  commercial  article.  Any  amateur  with  a  decorating 
kiln  can  very  easily  produce  these  lusters,  which  are  sold  by  all 
potters'  supply  houses.  Of  course,  the  changes  were  rung  on 
these  two  metals  and  we  have  pink  and  purple  lusters,  etc.,  which 
by  no  means  equaled  in  appearance  the  silver  and  copper.  Luster 
ware  was  also  made  at  Sunderland,  Leeds  and  other  places. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

MINTON — DOULTON — CAULDON. 

Thomas  Minton,  the  founder  of  the  firm  of  Mintons,  was 
born  at  Wyle  Cop,  Shrewsbury,  in  1766,  and  was  apprenticed  to 
Thomas  Turner,  of  the  Caughley  China  Works,  as  an  engraver. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


117 


Here,  it  has  been  stated,  he  engraved  the  famous  Willow  pattern, 
but  the  original  Caughley  engraving  bears  the  initials  of  Turner. 
He  later  went  to  London,  and  soon  after  his  marriage,  in  1789,  he 
removed  to  Stoke,  and  from  an  engraver  became  a  potter,  build- 
ing a  small  works  on  the  site  of  the  present  manufactory,  some- 
where about  1793  to  1796.  He  had  as  a  partner  Joseph  Poulson, 
a  practical  potter,  and  the  combination  proved  a  good  one.  Minton 
&  Poulson  was  the  style  of  the  firm.  When  William  Pownall, 
who  had  rendered  them  financial  assistance,  entered  the  firm  it 
was  changed  to  Minton,  Poulson  &  Pownall.  The  products  con- 
sisted almost  entirely  of  printed  earthenware.  In  1817,  Messrs. 
Poulson  &  Pownall  having  retired,  Thomas  Minton's  sons, 
Thomas  Webb  and  Herbert,  were  admitted  to  partnership,  the 
former  retiring  in  182 1.  Herbert  at  a  very  early  age  showed  re- 
markable ability,  and  when  Thomas  Minton  died  in  1836,  he  be- 
came sole  proprietor,  admitting  to  partnership  soon  afterwards, 

John  Boyle,  and  the  style  of  the  firm 
was  changed  from  Thomas  Minton  & 
Sons  to  Minton  &  Boyle.  This  partner- 
ship lasted  five  years,  when  Mr.  Boyle 
became  a  partner  with  Wedgwood.  In 
1845  Mr.  Michael  Daintry  Hollins, 
nephew  of  Mrs.  Minton,  was  admitted 
to  the  firm,  and  in  the  year  following 
Mr.  Colin  Minton  Campbell,  Herbert 
Minton's  nephew  and  heir.  Herbert 
Minton  died  in  1858,  and  the  business 
was  continued  by  the  remaining  partners 
until  1867,  when  it  was  dissolved,  Mr. 
Hollins  continuing  the  manufacture  of 
tiles  under  the  style  of  Minton,  Hollins 
&  Co.,  and  Mr.  Campbell  the  remainder 
of  the  business.  There  was  considerable 
litigation  as  to  the  right  to  use  the  name 
Minton  on  tiles,  and  the  highest  court  up- 
holding Mr.  Hollins,  the  firm  of  R.  Min- 
ton, Taylor  &  Co.,  which  was  really  a 
branch  of  the  firm  of  Minton  &  Co.,  was  enjoined  from  using 
their  name.  Mr.  Campbell  then  started  The  Campbell  Tile  Co., 
and  the  firm  still  continues  the  manufacture  of  encaustic  tiles, 
Mr.  John  Campbell  being  at  the  head  of  it.  After  the  dissolu- 
tion Mr.   C.   M.  Campbell  admitted  his  two  nephews,  Thomas 


VASE  BY   SOLON. 


n8  M  I  N  T  O  N  S  . 

and  Herbert  Minton,  into  partnership,  and  the  name  was  changed 
from  H.  Minton  &  Co.  to  Minton  &  Co.  When  Mr.  Campbell 
died  in  1883,  the  business  was  transformed  into  a  limited  liability 
company  under  the  present  style  of  Mintons,  Limited. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  Minton 
works  gave  employment  to  about  fifty  hands,  and  this  number 
had  risen  to  fifteen  hundred  at  the  time  of  Herbert  Minton's 
death.  Herbert  Minton  was  a  great  organizer  as  well  as  a  good 
potter  and  had  unbounded  faith  as  to  the  possibilities  of  pottery. 
Neither  the  manufacture  of  encaustic  tiles  nor  porcelain  buttons 
were  his  initiative,  but  he  had  acumen  enough  to  know  their  im- 
portance and  the  courage  to  use  his  capital  to  demonstrate  it.  He 
much  extended  the  range  of  colors  made  by  potters  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  and  Minton  tiles  became  known  the  world  over. 

As  far  back  as  1798  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  make 
china,  and  was  continued  with  no  great  success  until  181 1,  when 
it  was  abandoned.  It  was,  however,  resumed  in  1821,  and  has 
been  manufactured  continuously  to  the  present  day,  the  beauty 
of  the  paste  and  glaze,  the  exquisite  colors  realized  on  it  and 
the  care  in  its  finish  making  it  a  standard  of  excellence  which 
has  made  Minton  china  a  household  word.  The  earlier  patterns 
were  strongly  reminiscent  of  Derby,  and  when  that  factory  began 
to  decline  many  of  the  workmen  joined  the  Minton  works,  and 
the  decorations  rapidly  improved.  Bancroft,  Steel  and  Hancock 
were  the  principal  fruit  and  flower  painters.  John  Simpson  was 
the  principal  figure  painter  from  1837  to  1847,  and  Samuel 
Bourne,  who  served  his  apprenticeship  to  Wood  &  Caldwall,  was 
designer-in-chief. 

In  1849  Mr.  Minton  was  fortunate  enough  to  secure  the 
services  of  Leon  Arnoux,  the  son  of  a  potter  of  Apt,  France, 
and  whatever  triumphs  were  achieved  by  the  house  of  Minton 
from  the  time  he  entered  it  are  so  inseparably  connected  with  his 
skill  as  a  potter  and  his  wonderfully  developed  artistic  taste  as  to 
make  the  recitals  of  one  but  the  triumphs  of  the  other.  No  cera- 
mic puzzle  seemed  too  difficult  for  him  to  solve,  and  he  occupies 
in  English  the  same  position  as  the  illustrious  Brongniart  does  in 
French  ceramics.  In  1892  he  retired  for  a  few  years,  but  an 
upheaval  in  the  management  of  the  company  occurring  his  serv- 
ices were  again  requisitioned,  and  he  devoted  his  energies  to  the 
establishment  until  shortly  before  his  death  in  1902. 

In  no  single  establishment  has  there  been  gathered  together 
such  a  galaxy  of  talent  as  in  the  Minton  firm.  Emile  Jeannest,  a 
sculptor  of  refined  taste.     Carriere-Belleuse  and  M.  Protat,  who 


A     POTTERY    PRIME  R  .  119 

was  working  for  the  firm  as  late  as  1858,  followed  each  other, 
and  their  beautiful  creations  added  luster  and  dignity  to  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  firm.  One  of  Mr.  Arnoux's  first  achievements 
was  the  manufacture  of  hard  porcelain  for  laboratory  purposes, 
said  to  equal  that  of  Meissen,  but  the  difficulty  of  making  saggers 
capable  of  standing  the  high  heat  caused  the  abandonment  of  the 
manufacture. 

Parian  was  made  almost  concurrently  with  the  Copeland  pro- 
duction in  1845  or  1846. 

When  Herbert  Minton  died  he  left  worthy  successors  be- 
hind him,  Mr.  Hollins  devoting  most  of  his  interest  to  the  tile 
business  and  Mr.   Campbell  to  the  remaining  branches.     While 
the  latter  had  but  little  knowledge  as  a  potter,  he  was  a  man  of 
good    taste,    quick    to   perceive   the    trend    of    public   taste,    and 
loyally  backed  Mr.  Arnoux  utterly  regardless  of  expense.     After 
the  Franco-Prussian  War  the  artistic  staff,  already  very  large, 
was   greatly    increased,    some   of   those   who   became   associated 
with  the  firm  being  A.  Boullemier,  a  painter  of  cupids  and  fig- 
ures with  remarkable  technique ;  M.  Mussill,  probably  the  best 
underglaze  bird  and  flower  painter  the  ceramic  world  has  ever 
seen,  and  L.   Solon,  whose  charming  creations  in  pate-sur-pate 
are  the  finest  examples  of  this   process   ever  produced.     It   re- 
quired some  courage  to  add  these  three  to  an  artistic  force  which 
already  comprised   such  men  as  Thomas   Allen,  who  was  later 
art  director  for  Wedgwoods ;  Richard  W.   Pilsbury,  whose  re- 
fined flower  painting  ranked  him  as  an  artist  of  the  first  class. 
Mr.  Jahn,  Mr.  Henk,  Mr.  Eyre  and  Mr.  Wise,  all  good  figure 
painters ;  T.  Simpson,  flowers,  and  Charles  Toft,  whose  repro- 
ductions of  the  famous  faience  d'  Oiron  and  other  no  less  dif- 
ficult ceramic  productions  rank  him  as  the  first  craftsman  of  his 
day  (died  1883).     In  addition  to  this  formidable  list  of  painters, 
Coleman  was  furnishing  designs  for  nature  services ;  Dr.  Dresser 
for  border  patterns,  and  Moyer  Smith  for  tiles.     The  modeling 
force   was    equally   large   in    proportion,   and   the   expense   must 
have  been  enormous.     The  greatest  variety  of  goods  is  produced, 
practically  everything  that  comes  under  the  meaning  of  ceramics, 
if  we  except  building  bricks  and  the  very  cheap  ware  for  domestic 
purposes. 

DOULTONS. 

The  process  of  evolution,  the  endowment  of  an  artistic  ex- 
pression to  a  common  material ;  the  possibilities  of  the  fictile  art 
when  brains  take  the  place  of  precedent  and  originality  succeeds 
imitation,  are  ah  exemplified  in  the  Doulton  stoneware.     Estab- 


120  D  0  U  LT  0  N  . 

lished  in  1818  bv  John  Doulton  and  John  Watts  in  Vauxhall 
Walk,  Lambeth,  'the  production  consisted  mainly  01  stoneware 
bottle's.  The  year  of  the  Reform  bill,  1832,  gave  a  great  im- 
petus to  this  trade  and  thousands  of  flat  bottles,  the  neck  rep- 
resenting the  King,  Lord  Gray,  John  Russell  and  Broughton, 
were  made,  John  Doulton,  who  was  an  expert  thrower,  often 
making  two  hundred  two-gallon  bottles  a  day. 

Henry  Doulton,  his  son,  succeeded  to  the  business  in  1846. 
Drain  pipes  and  stoneware  sinks  were  then  the  staple  production 
and  to  meet  the  demand  works  were  established  at  St.  Helens, 
Rowley  Regis  and '  Smethwick.  To  Henry  Doulton  must  be 
given  the  credit  of  having  constructed  the  first  potter's  wheel 
driven  by  steam,  and  it  was  ten  years  later  before  there  was  an- 
other in  use  either  in  London  or  Staffordshire.  Henry  Doulton 
was  a  man  of  artistic  temperament  and  he  had  long  recognized 
the  artistic  possibilities  of  the  stoneware  he  made,  but  it  was 
not  until  1870  that  he  commenced  to  carry  out  his  ideas  in  this 
direction.  There  was  no  imitation  of  an  antique  type;  all  was 
distinctly  creative  and  all  that  was  artistic  found  encouragement. 
The  decorations  were  incised  with  a  blunt  tool,  afterward  col- 
ored with  a  brush  and  a  salt  glaze  applied.  Neither  the  incising 
nor  the  use  of  salt  glaze  was  an  original  process,  and  yet  with 
these  two  old  methods  Doulton  constructed  a  distinct  type  "sober, 
quiet,  harmonious  and  deep,  full  of  quality."  The  trio  who  first 
gave  artistic  grace  to  this  Doulton  stoneware  were  Mrs.  Hannah 
B.  Barlow,  Miss  Florence  E.  Barlow  and  Mrs.  Frank  A.  Butler, 
the  latter  a  deaf  mute.  Not  satisfied  with  the  success  achieved, 
Mr.  Doulton,  after  some  experimenting,  evolved  "Silicon"  ware, 
which  is  a  stoneware  without  a  salt  glaze,  the  effects  being  pro- 
duced by  various  colored  clays.  This  was  followed  in  1888  by 
Carrara  ware,  a  stoneware  similar  in  texture  to  marble,  the  sur- 
face being  of  an  eggshell  texture.  "Crown  Lambeth"  was  intro- 
duced in  1 89 1.  "Lambeth  faience"  has  the  decorations  in  colors 
painted  under  the  glaze,  Miss  F.  Lewis  and  M.  V.  Marshall  hav- 
ing produced  many  noteworthy  pieces.  In  "Vitreous  fresco"  A. 
E.  Pearce  and  J.  Eyre  have  done  fine  work. 

The  name  of  George  Tinworth  is  almost  as  familiar  with 
the  Doulton  works  as  that  of  Doulton  himself.  He  commenced 
working  in  the  pottery  in  1867,  retouching  old  molds,  but  it  was 
not  long  before  he  launched  into  more  original  work,  modeling 
filters  and  making  enlarged  copies  of  old  molds,  some  of  these 
attracting  the  attention  of  the  eminent  art  critic,  John  Ruskin. 
While  he  had  a  fund  of  humor  that  found  expression  in  some  of 


A     POTTER  Y    PRIMER.  121 

his  works,  it  is  his  religious  subjects  that  gave  him  his  deserved 
fame.  Their  excellence  in  thought,  composition  and  modeling 
attracted  universal  attention,  and  while  the  story  is  always  simply 
told,  it  is  told  with  a  virile  strength  that  appeals  to  the  least  ap- 
preciative. They  have  not  been  inaptly  called  "The  Bible  in 
Sculpture."  In  the  Smithsonian  Institute  at  Washington  is  a 
Doulton  pulpit  with  panels  by  Tinworth  illustrating  scenes  in  the 
life  of  the  Christ  from  the  offering  in  the  Temple  to  the  Ascension. 

Henry  Doulton,  for  his  services  to  the  ceramic  art,  was 
knighted  in  1887,  a  distinction  never  before  or  since  bestowed  on 
an  English  potter.  He  was  created  a  Chevalier  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor  in  1878,  and  in  the  course  of  his  life  received  no  less 
than  105  diplomas  of  honor,  1 10  gold  and  102  silver  medals.  He 
died  November  18,  1897,  and  during  his  sixty  years  of  service  had 
watched  his  works  steadily  grow  from  the  time  when  a  blind 
horse  was  the  only  motive  power  used  until  it  needed  3,500  horse- 
power to  keep  the  wheels  of  the  great  Lambeth  factory  moving. 

In  1877  the  firm  entered  into  partnership  with  T.  Shadford 
Pinder,  for  the  purpose  of  making  fine  china  and  earthenware,  but 
this  partnership  was  dissolved  in  1881,  Mr.  Pinder  retiring  and 
the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Doulton  &  Co.  Air.  Bailey  was 
appointed  manager,  a  position  he  continues  to  hold.  Their  most 
noteworthy  productions  are  the  Sang  de  Boeuf  of  Air.  Bernard 
Moore  and  some  really  exquisite  effects  in  crystalline  glazes. 

CAULDON. 

For  150  years  the  name  of  Ridgway  has  been  inseparably  con- 
nected with  English  pottery.  While  Job  Ridgway  was  the  first 
of  that  name  to  attain  any  distinction  we  know  that  he  came  of  a 
family  of  potters,  for  on  the  death  of  his  mother  in  1765,  he  being 
seven  years  of  age  at  the  time,  his  father  and  an  elder  'brother 
went  to  Swansea  to  positions  in  the  newly  established  pottery 
there.  Here  he  was  apprenticed,  but  returned  to  the  Potteries  in 
1780.  Failing  to  find  work  he  drifted  to  Leeds,  again  returning 
to  Hanley  in  1782,  and  two  years  later  married  the  sister  of  Elijah 
Mayer.  In  due  course  three  sons  were  born  to  them,  John,  Will- 
iam and  Joseph,  the  latter  dying  when  only  nine  months  old. 
Soon  after  his  marriage  he  entered  into  partnership  with  his 
brother  George  as  manufacturers  of  earthenware,  and  the  venture 
must  have  been  successful,  for  when  this  partnership  was  amicably 
dissolved  he  built  the  Cauldon  Works,  where  he  established 
a  business  known  for  many  years  as  Job  Ridgway  &  Sons.  Pie 
made  earthenware  and  stoneware,  and  a  little  later  blue-printed 
ware.     While  the  manufacture  did  not  assume  much  importance, 


[22  C  A  U  L  n  0  N  . 

the  wares  were  favorably  known,  but  it  was  not  until  it  came 
under  the  management  of  his  sons,  John  and  William,  that  the 
leading  manufacturers  discovered  that  they  had  in  them  formid- 
able rivals. 

About  1802  Job  Ridgway  tried  to  revive  the  old  Hull  Pottery, 
and  did  considerably  extend  the  trade,  but  he  sold  out  his  in- 
terests in  1804  to  Messrs.  Smith,  his  partners.  What  the  arrange- 
ments was  we  do  not  know,  but  two  years  later  the  Smiths  as- 
signed all  their  interests  to  job  and  George  Ridgway,  who  carried 
on  the  works  until  1826,  though  Job  died  in  1814.  To  John 
Ridgway's  skill  as  a  potter  and  to  his  untiring  energy  is  largely 
due  the  success  of  the  Cauldon  Works.  Soon  after  1815  he  in- 
troduced a  bone  china  body  and  added  to  it  a  rich  and  luscious 
glaze,  making  the  applied  color  extremely  fine  in  tone.  In  1822 
he  visited  the  United  States,  and  a  large  trade  with  them  was 
established.  The  English  potter  was  then  catering  largely  to  this 
market,  and  what  is  known  as  American  historical  pottery  was 
sold  in  large  quantities.  This  consisted  chiefly  of  printed  services 
in  a  very  deep  and  rich  blue,  with  portraits  of  tier  heroes  or  states- 
men and  scenery.  Of  such  a  character  was  the  Beauties  of 
America  service  issued  by  Ridgway  and  which  must  have  had  an 
immense  sale.  Shortly  after  liis  return  from  America  the  part- 
nership between  himself  and  his  brother,  William,  was  dissolved. 
About  this  time,  too,  there  was  a  noticeable  improvement  in  the 
shapes  and  the  productions  had  been  so  improved  as  to  command 
the  attention  of  royalty,  and  Queen  Victoria  authorized  the  use 
of  the  sub-title,  "Totter  to  Her  Majesty.''  Since  that  time  the 
Cauldon  Works  has  continuously  received  royal  patronage,  both 
from  Windsor  and  Osborne.  In  1859  John  Ridgway  retired,  the 
business  passing  to  T.  C.  Brown-Westhead,  Mr.  Bates  and  Will- 
iam Moore,  who  had  learned  practical  pottery  under  John  Ridg- 
way. The  name  of  the  firm  became  and  continues  to  be  T.  C. 
Brown-Westhead,  Moore  &  Co.,  though  for  the  sake  of  brevity 
the  products  are  known  as  Cauldon.  On  the  death  of  William 
Moore,  in  1866,  his  brother,  James,  took  his  place,  was  admitted 
as  a  partner  in  1875  and  died  in  1881.  Mr.  Brown-Westhead 
died  in  1882,  and  the  business  passed  into  the  hands  of  W.  B.  & 
F.  T.  Moore,  sons  of  William  Moore.  Later  the  business  was 
turned  into  a  limited  company. 

The  Cauldon  productions  are  extremely  various,  and  a  very 
high  standard  is  maintained  throughout.  The  Cauldon  china  is 
especially  noticeable,  and  in  purity  of  body,  in  manufacturing  skill 
and  general  excellence  is  certainly  not  excelled  by  any  other  make. 
The  various  international  exhibitions  where  Cauldon  goods  are 


A     P  O  T  T  R  R  V    PR!  M  E  R 


22, 


always  a  conspicous  feature  have  sealed  their  product  with  their 
approval ;  an  approval  which  was  only  their  just  due,  and  the  mark 
has  long  been  an  index  as  a  guarantee  of  excellence.  At  the 
Brussels  Exhibitition  the  company  received  a  Grand  Prix  for  its 
fine  show  of  china,  which  later  was  lost  in  the  great  fire. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

RIDGWAYS- — COBRIDGE      WORKS BELLEEK BOOTE MASON JONES 

WEDGWOOD  &  CO. BOOTHS1 — MINOR  POTTERIES. 

RIDGWAYS. 

The  early  history  of  this  house  has  been  given  in  our  sketch 
of  the  Cauldon  Works.  When  William  Ridgway  separated  from 
his  brother,  about  1830,  he  rented  the  Church  Street  works,  Han- 
ley,  from  Joseph  Mayer,  and  eventually  became  the  proprietor  of 
no  less  than  six  manufactories,  among  which  were  the  Bell 
Works,  now  Clemenson  Brothers  and  the  one  now  occupied  by 


RIDGWAY  STONEWARE  JUGS. 


Geo.  L.  Ashworth  &  Brothers.  His  trade  with  America  was 
greatly  increased  by  a  visit  here,  and  Charles  Cartledge,  after- 
wards a  manufacturer  at  Greenpoint,  acted  as  his  agent.  He  also 
commenced  the  erection  of  a  manufactory  in  Kentucky,  but  it 
was  never  completed,  his  affairs  becoming  involved. 

His  son,  Edward  John,  was  admitted  into  partnership  and 


124  JAMES    CLEWS. 

the  business  was  carried  on  by  them  until  William  Ridgway's 
death  in  1864.  The  former  then  entered  into  partnership  with 
L.  J.  Abington  under  the  style  of  Ridgway  and  Abington.  This 
partnership  was  dissolved  in  1866,  and  E.  J.  Ridgway  built  the 
Bedford  Works  at  Shelton.  Mr.  Sparks,  the  firm's  London 
agent,  and  Mr.  Ridgway's  two  sons,  John  and  E.  A.,  were  ad- 
mitted into  partnership  in  1872,  and  the  firm  name  was  Ridgway, 
Sparks  &  Ridgway,  E.  J.  Ridgway  retiring.  He  died  in  1896. 
Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Sparks,  in  1878,  the  name  was  changed  to 
Ridgvvays.  The  products  consist  mostly  of  earthenware  and 
stoneware,  both  of  excellent  quality. 

Of  the  former  it  is  sufficient  criterion  to  say  that  several  of 
the  dinnerware  patterns  have  been  of  late  years  reissued,  meet- 
ing with  great  success,  the  beautiful  engraving  being  a  note- 
worthy feature.  The  same  remark  may  be  applied  to  the  stone- 
ware jugs,  which  are  artistically  conceived  and  well  modeled,  the 
originals  dating  from  1834.  These  reissues  are  valuable,  as  they 
tend  to  show  the  excellence  of  manufacture  the  firm  had  attained 
seventy-five  years  ago;  an  excellence  they  are  jealous  to  maintain. 

THE  COBRIDGE  WORKS. 

Cobridge  lies  midway  between  Hanley  and  Burslem.  Works 
were  erected  there  in  1808  by  Bucknall  &  Stevenson,  who  were 
succeeded  by  A.  Stevenson.  In  1816  to  1820  they  passed  into  the 
hands  of  James  Clews,  and  he  continued  them  until  1829.  The 
works  remained  closed  until  1836,  when  they  were  reopened  by 
Robinson,  Wood  &  Brownfield,  Brownfield  being  the  sole  sur- 
viving partner  in  1850.  In  1871  his  son,  W.  E.  Brownfield,  was 
admitted  as  a  partner,  and  the  firm  name  became  W.  Brownfield 
&  Sons.  W.  Brownfield  died  in  1873,  and  shortly  after  it  was, 
in  the  interests  of  the  work  people  converted  into  a  co-operative 
company,  known  as  the  Brownfield  Guild  Pottery.  The  most 
interesting  phase  of  this  old  pottery  was  the  occupancy  by  James 
Qews,  who  issued  a  large  number  of  American  historical  sub- 
jects printed  in  a  deep  blue,  the  best  known  of  which  are  "The 
Landing  of  Lafayette,"  and  the  States  series.  Clews  came  to  this 
country  in  1837  and  built  a  factory  at  Troy,  Ind.,  but  even  with 
the  assistance  of  the  English  potters  brought  here  it  was  a  dismal 
failure  and  he  returned  to  England.  One  son  remained  here,  the 
financier,  Henry  Clews.  James  Carr,  the  veteran  New  York 
potter,  worked  for  Clews  and  afterwards  employed  many  of 
the  potters  from  the  Troy  factory. 

The  best  period  of  the  Brownfield  pottery  was  between  1870 
and  1880,  when,  under  the  directorship  of  Mr.  Jahn,  an  artist  of 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER.  125 

ability,  the  productions  were  considerably  improved  and  success- 
fully competed  with  the  more  well-known  firms  of  the  district. 

When  the  Guild  pottery  was  instituted  F.  A.  Rhead,  who  had 
had  his  training  at  Mintons  and  Wedgwoods,  and  later  served 
as  art  director  for  Bodleys,  was  the  art  director,  but  the  cumbrous 
committee  of  workingmen  who  constituted  the  management  failed 
to  understand  his  artistic  instincts,  and  what  had  been  conceived 
by  Mr.  Brownfield  for  the  good  and  betterment  of  all  concerned 
ended  in  disastrous  failure.  Dressed  in  a  little  brief  authority, 
each  shareholding  workman  considered  himself  an  absolute  dic- 
tator. There  was  much  ludicrous  quarreling,  and  the  whole  pro- 
ceedings rivaled  the  merriest  opera  bouffe. 

BELLEEK. 

The  product  known  as  Belleek  is  a  fine  parian  body  washed 
with  metallic  lusters.  These  pearly  lusters  were  the  invention 
of  J.  J.  H.  Brianchou,  who  protected  by  patent  his  discovery  in 
France,  England  and  Germany.  They  were  used  both  in  France 
and  Germany,  and  coming  to  the  notice  of  W.  H.  Goss,  of  Stoke, 
about  1863,  he  experimented  with  them.  In  the  same  year  Mc- 
Birney  &  Armstrong,  of  the  Belleek  Works,  engaged  Goss'  fore- 
man, William  Bromley,  a  modeler  named  Gallimore  and  several 
workmen  from  the  same  factory  to  develop  the  same  idea.  The 
manufacture  was  extensively  carried  on  and  became  popular,  a 
good  deal  of  encouraged  misapprehension  existing  as  to  the 
means  of  production.  The  lusters  were  simply  imported  from 
the  patentee,  a  wash  of  them  applied  to  glazed  parian  and  fired 
at  a  low  heat.  Bromley  came  to  America  in  1883  to  assist  J. 
Hart  Brewer  in  his  development  of  Belleek.  The  W.  H.  Goss 
alluded  to  started  in  business  at  Stoke  in  1858  as  a  manufacturer 
of  parian,  and  soon  turned  his  attention  to  small  pieces  with 
college  badges  and  similar  heraldic  devices,  building  up  an  ex- 
tensive trade  and  creating  a  style  which  is  still  popular.  The 
daintiness,  good  potting  and  restraint  in  decoration  are  some  of 
the  factors  that  insured  this  success. 

The  works  occupied  by  T.  &  R.  Boote  were  founded  at  the 
end  of  the  eighteenth  century  by  Walter  Daniel,  who  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Timothy  and  John  Lockett.  In  1809  Joseph  Machin 
and  Jacob  Baggaley  were  the  proprietors,  the  former  giving 
place  to  William  Machin  in  183 1.  Later  they  were  succeeded  by 
Richard  Daniel  and  Thomas  Edwards,  and  in  1850  the  works 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  present  proprietors.  They  were 
among  the  early  manufacturers  of  parian,  but  abandoned  it  so  as 


126 


J  O  S  I  A  H    SPODE. 


to  devote  their  energies  more  particularly  to  staple  productions 
in  a  semi-porcelain  body.  About  five  years  ago  they  dis- 
continued the  manufacture  of  earthenware  and  devoted  all  their 
energies  to  the  extension  and  improvement  of  tiles,  of  which 
they  are  very  large  producers. 


MASON  S    IRONSTONE    CHINA. 

Charles  James  Mason,  of  Fenton,  in  1813,  took  out  a  patent 
for  the  manufacture  of  ironstone  china,  powdered  iron  slag  being 
one  of  its  constituent  parts.  The  body  was  of  extreme  hardness 
and  purity  of  color.  For  want  of  capital  Mason  was  obliged  to 
sell  his  business  and  the  patent  in  185 1  to  Francis  Morley,  who 
continued  its  manufacture,  and  was  awarded  a  first-class  medal 
in  the  French  exhibition  of  1856.  Morley,  some  sixteen  or  seven- 
teen years  ago,  sold  his  entire  business  to  Geo.  L.  Ashworth  & 
Bros.,  who  continue  the  manufacture  of  ironstone  china  at  their 
works  at  Shelton.  The  peculiar  nature  of  the  body  adapts  it  to 
very  rich  colorings,  and  the  red  and  blue  Japan  patterns,  both  of 
the  old  Mason  and  the  product  of  to-day,  are  very  brilliant  and 
effective.     Morley  was  succeeded  at  Fenton  by  Baker  &  Co. 

Josiah  Spode,  born  in  1773,  died  in  1797,  was  an  apprentice 
of  Whieldons  and  he  commenced  business  on  his  own  account  in 

1770  at  the  works  at  StSke 
formerly  occupied  by  Banks 
&  Turner.  His  son  learned 
the  business  from  him  and  to- 
gether with  his  traveler,  Will- 
iam Copeland,  they  conducted 
the  business  so  efficiently  as 
to  at  once  make  a  mark.  The 
first  products  were  earthen- 
ware, the  designs  largely 
drawn  from  Oriental  sources, 
but  in  1800  they  commenced 
to  make  china.  It  is  often 
stated  that  Spode  was  the 
first  to  use  bone  in  its  com 
position  but  we  have  already 
seen  that  long  before  it  had 
been  utilized  at  Chelsea,  Bow, 
etc.  In  1805  he  introduced 
a  fine  and  durable  body  which 
he  called  Stone  China  of 
which  Queen  Charlotte 
bought     a     service.       Josiah 


JOSIAH   SPODE. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER.  127 

Spode,  2d,  died  in  1827  and  Copeland  in  1826.  The  son  of  the 
latter,  W.  T.  Copeland,  bought  the  business  from  Josiah  Spode, 
3d,  in  1833,  and  taking  into  partnership  his  traveler,  Thomas  Gar- 
rett, from  1833  to  1847,  the  title  of  the  firm  was  Copeland  & 
Garrett.  Upon  the  dissolution  of  this  partnership  the  name  was 
changed  to  W.  T.  Copeland  late  Spode.  Then  Alderman  Cope- 
land (he  was  once  Lord  Mayor  of  London)  took  into  partnership 
his  four  sons  and  the  present  style  of  W.  T.  Copeland  &  Sons  was 
adopted.  The  only  surviving  member  of  the  firm  is  Richard  Pirie 
Copeland.  It  was  the  first  firm  to  make  parian.  The  Spodes 
undoubtedly  added  much  to  the  prestige  of  English  pottery,  their 
productions  being  highly  esteemed  and  are  regarded  by  con- 
noisseurs as  the  best  expression  of  the  potters'  art  of  that  period. 
During  the  administration  of  Mr.  F.  R.  Abraham  (up  to  1896) 
some  excellent  work  was  produced,  assisted  as  he  was  by  such 
able  artists  as  Hurten  (flowers)  ;  Besche,  Alcock,  Hewitt  and 
Abraham  (figures)  and  Yale  (landscapes). 

Wileman  &  Co.,  Longton.  Mr.  Percy  Shelley,  B.  A.,  has 
raised  this  pottery  to  one  of  the  first  rank,  elevating  its  prod- 
ucts from  a  cheap  grade  of  earthenware  to  a  fine  china  and  a  line 
of  ornamental  earthenware  of  an  artistic  if  somewhat  severe 
character,  mostly  painted  under  the  glaze. 

Furnivals,  Ltd.,  Cobridge.  Thomas  Furnival  &  Co.  suc- 
ceeded Reuben  Johnson  &  Co,  at  the  Stafford  Street  Works,  Han- 
ley,  the  name  being  shortly  afterwards  changed  to  Furnival  & 
Clark  and  so  remained  until  185 1  when  the  present  works  at  Co- 
bridge-,  were"  taken  and  the  style  of  the  firm  became  Thomas 
Furnival,  &  Sons,  afterwards  changed  to  Furnivals,  Limited. 
Their  productions  have  been  almost  entirely  confined  to  staple 
goods  and  are  characterized  by  careful  potting  and  excellence  of 
designs.  Especially  is  this  true  of  their  toilet  services,  which 
are  marked  by  originality  and  beauty  of  design  and  which  have 
never  been  approached  by  their  larger  competitors.  Mr.  W.  M. 
Binns,  formerly  of  Worcester,  is  now  associated  with  them  and 
has  just  produced  a  line  of  flower  holders,  bowls  and  other  utili- 
tarian articles  with  exquisite  crystalline  glazes,  which  we  have 
pleasure  to  illustrate,  for  they  ought  readily  to  take  the  place  of 
the  meritricious  pieces  usually  sold  for  such  purposes.  They  term 
this  artistic  and  beautiful  ware  "Mamora  faience." 

Hammersley  &  Co.,  Longton,  are  manufacturers  of  bone 
china,  one  of  the  few  houses  in  Longton  producing  china  dinner 
ware  which  may  be  considered  as  the  supreme  test  of  the  potters' 
skill.     The  body  is  a  good  one  and  the  decorations  are  in  good 


128 


L  O  N  G  T  O  N    CHINA 


taste,  comparing  favorably  in  both  respects  with  the  products  of 
more  well  known  houses. 

Redfern  &  Drakeford,  Normacott,  have  in  their  excellent 
china  dinner  ware  gone  for  inspiration  to  the  successes  of  some 
of  the  old  potters  and  have  brought  out  some  fine  designs  in  the 
style  of  Crown,  Derby  and  Swansea,  as  well  as  elaborate  incrus- 
tations and  other  richly  designed  effects. 

Williamson  &  Son,  Longton,  adopt  greater  originality  in  de- 
sign than  many  houses  and  have  had  several  distinct  successes, 
among  which  their  Gainsboro  designs  adapted  from  cretonnes  are 


MAMORA  FAIENCE. 


noticeable.  This  class  of  design  makes  it  possible  for  the  china 
to  match  the  draperies  of  a  room  and  is  especially  attractive  for 
breakfast  rooms.  Another  service  is  decorated  with  Blue  Birds, 
let  us  hope  "for  Happiness." 

These  and  other  houses  have  done  much  to  raise  the  stand- 
ard of  Longton  china,  so  that  the  term  is  no  longer  indicative  of 
mere  cheapness,  and  it  is  only  a  matter  of  time  if  the  present  ad- 
vance in  quality  and  style  is  maintained,  before  they  leave  some 
of  their  old  time  competitors  in  the  rear. 

The  Crown  Sutherland  Works,  Hanley,  under  the  guidance 
of  Mr.  A.  Leger,  produce  much  elaborately  gilt  china  dinner 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


129 


ware.  Mr.  Leger  learned  his  art  in  France,  adapting-  it  to  Eng- 
lish ideas  at  Mintons  and  Cauldon,  where  he  did  much  fine  work, 
and  now  that  he  has  a  business  of  his  own  he  is  demonstrating 
the  ease  with  which  French  taste  and  English  workmanship  can 
be  combined  and  how  happy  a  result  can  be  realized. 

George  Jones  &  Sons,  Stoke-upon-Trent.  Established  by 
George  Jones,  with  the  assistance  of  E.  B.  Jackson,  of  Manches- 
ter, as  a  whiteware  factory  at  the  Old  Bridge  Works  in  1861. 
To  meet  trade  demands  the  Trent  works  were  built,  and  china, 
earthenware  and  majolica  were  made.  George  Jones  died  in 
1893.  His  son,  Frank,  later  known  as  Frank  Jones-Benham, 
became  an  expert  potter,  and  much  of  the  success  that  has  at- 
tended their  efforts  is  due  to  his  skill.  Another  son,  Horace,  a 
clever  artist,  is  responsible  for  much  of  the  decoration.  The 
quality  of  the  gilding  on  the  Jones  china  has  always  been  notice- 
able, and  while  never  over-burdened  to  the  point  of  vulgarity, 
it  has  a  solidity  and  quality  which  imparts  a  certain  elegance  to 
it.     The  trade  mark  is  a  crescent  and  the  monogram  of  the  firm. 

S.  Alcock  &  Co.  were  established  at  the  Hill  Top  Pottery, 
Burslem,  in  1839,  the  works  having  previously  been  occupied  by 
Ralph  Wood.  In  1866  they  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Hill 
Top  Pottery  Co.,  which  liquidated  in  1867.  Part  of  the  works 
was  taken  by  Alcock  &  Diggory,  who  were  succeeded  by  Bodley 
and  Diggory,  1870;  E.  F.  Bodley,  1871 ;  Bodley  &  Son,  1875,  and 
finally  E.  J.  D.  Bodley.  Bodley  made  a  beautiful  china  body,  one 
which  has  probably  never  been  surpassed.  E.  F.  Bodley  supplied 
the  service  for  the  Confederate  steamer  Alabama. 

Ralph  Wedgwood,  a  second  cousin  of  Josiah  Wedgwood, 
was  born  in  1766,  and  served  his  apprenticeship  as  a  potter  at 
Etruria.  In  1796  he  joined  the  firm  of  Tomlinson  &  Co.,  Ferry- 
bridge, Yorkshire,  the  new  firm  adopting  the  title  of  Wedgwood 
&  Co.  This  partnership  only  lasted  until  about  the  end  of  the 
century,  when  Ralph  Wedgwood  retired.  He  is  said  to  have  been 
in  business  at  the  Hill  Top  Works,  Burslem,  that  the  war  with 
America  caused  his  failure  there  and  furnished  the  reason  for  his 
migration  to  Yorkshire. 

The  present  firm  of  Wedgwood  &  Co.,  Tunstall,  was  founded 
in  1830,  was  incorporated  as  a  bonded  liability  company  in  1900, 
the  style  of  the  firm  being  then  changed  to  Wedgwood  &  Co., 
Ltd.  Some  interesting  historical  pieces  were  issued  by  them, 
usually  printed  in  black,  a  jug  with  portraits  of  Washington  and 
Franklin  being  a  good  example.  Another  early  design  had  clas- 
sical figure  subjects   in  the  center  and  in  compartments  in  the 


130 


STAFFORDSHIRE. 


border,  both  engraving  and  printing  being  finely  executed.  Like 
many  other  Staffordshire  potters,  they  have  been  satisfied  not  to 
invade  the  realms  of  ornamental  pottery,  devoting  all  their  atten- 
tion to  the  improvement  of  their  utilitarian  wares,  and  with  im- 
plicit confidence  in  the  merit  of  their  "Imperial  Porcelain,"  have- 
lavished  on  it  high-grade  decorations  usually  reserved  for  porce- 
lain, and  the  result  has  happily  justified  their  faith.  Some  of 
the  decorations,  especially  those  where  mazarine  blue  is  a  domi- 
nant note,  are  triumphs  of  the  decorator's  skill,  the  beautiful  glaze 
bringing  out  the  colors  to  the  bert  advantage.  They  also  make 
a  specialty  of  blue  willow  and  other  blue-prints.  There  has 
never  been  anv  inclination  to  trade  on  the  reputation  of  their 
namesakes,  the  trade  mark  being  quite  distinctive:  (i)  In  1870 
a  unicorn's  head  and  Wedgwood  &  Co.  on  a  ribbon;  (2)  1890. 
lion  surmounting  a  crown;  (3)  1910,  on  high-grade  goods,  a 
crown  and  their  name. 

Booths,  Ltd.,  Tunstall. 

This  is  an  old  firm  of  earthenware  manufacturers,  which  has 
been  in  existence  since  1830.  The  original  firm  was  Evans  & 
Booth,  occupying  the  Knowles  Works.  In  1868  the  style  was 
changed  to  Thos.  Booth  &  Co.,  in  1872  to  T.  G.  &  F.  Booth,  and 
is  now  conducted  by  the  former  alone,  under  the  style  of  Booths, 
Ltd.  In  1870  they  moved  to  the  Church  Bank  Works,  which 
they  now  occupy.  During  recent  years  the  productions  have 
changed  for  the  better  very  largely,  the  body  has  been  improved 
to  its  present  standard,  and  the  house  may  be  regarded  as  one 
of  the  most  progressive  in  the  Potteries.  They  have  been  par- 
ticularly successful  with  decoration  in  which  a  rich  cobalt  is  the 
dominant  color.  They  were  awarded  a  medal  at  St.  Louis  in 
1864.  The  series  of  English  scenes  from  old  Davenport  copper 
plates,  applied  to  beakers,  vases,  dessert  and  dinner  ware  are 
worthy  of  mention. 

John  Aynsley  &  Sons,  Longton,  were  established  in  the  first 
part  of  last  century.  They  make  a  good  quality  of  bone  china, 
and  there  are  several  other  firms  of  the  name  of  Aynsley  in 
Longton.  John  Aynsley  was  a  working  potter  and  made  a  large 
fortune,  being  financially  interested  in  many  of  the  Longton  pot- 
teries whose  necessities  his  capital  enabled  him  to  take  advantage 
of. 

Harvey  Adams  &  Co.,  Longton,  china,  founded  in  1862, 
where  Henry  Mitchell,  an  animal  and  landscape  painter  did  some 
of  his  best  work. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER. 


1.3  r 


Moore  Bros.,  Longton,  china.  An  extremely  good  body, 
used  principally  for  figure  subjects,  often  in  combination  with 
the  lotus  leaves  and  flowers ;  finished  in  silver  and  gold  of  rich 
quality  and  always  judiciously  applied.  Some  good  examples  of 
Pate-sur-pate  were  also  produced.  Mr.  Bernard  Moore,  the 
senior  partner,  for  years  devoted  himself  to  the  solving  of  the 
problem  of  fine  red  glazes  of  the  Chinese,  and  finally  succeeded, 
transferring  their  production  to  Messrs.  Doulton  &  Co.,  Burslem. 
Mr.  Moore's  scientific  research,  or  its  result,  has  been  freely  com- 
municated to  the  potters  of  the  district,  much  to  their  benefit. 


c.    MEIGH  JUGS. 

Courtesy  of  Keramic  Studio. 

The  old  Hall  Earthenware  Co.,  Hanley,  started  by  Job 
Meigh,  in  1790,  was  succeeded  by  Chas.  Meigh  &  Son,  and  some 
time  after  185 1  was  incorporated.  The  Meigh s  were  both  clever 
potters,  and  their  stoneware,  jugs,  etc.,  are  deservedly  esteemed 
by  collectors.     The  company  was  dissolved  in  1902. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

FOR   THE   AMERICAN    MARKET. 

The  potter  who  gives  us  our  services  for  the  table  and  im- 
bues the  things  of  daily  use  with  an  artistic  expression  is  perhaps 
more   entitled   to   our  thanks   than   the   manufacturer   who   fur- 


i32  M  ADD  O  C  K  -  M  E  A  K  I  N  S  ■ 

nishes,  sometimes  very  useless  ornaments,  exclusively  for  the 
wealthy. 

John  Maddock,  the  founder  of  the  house  of  John  Maddock 
&  Sons,  commenced  business  in  1830.  Shortly  afterward  seeing 
the  great  possibilities  of  trade  with  this  country  he  sent  his  son, 
John  Maddock,  Jr.,  to  study  the  wants  and  conditions  of  the 
market,  the  result  of  which  was  reaped  by  his  brothers,  Thomas 
and  Henry,  who  succeeded  him.  Another  brother,  James  Mad- 
dock, is  now  the  head  of  the  house,  and  is  the  only  surviving 
son.  Upon  the  death  of  John  Maddock,  Jr.,  his  son,  John  Fran- 
cis, was  admitted  by  his  uncle  as  a  partner.  From  its  inception 
there  has  been  but  one  ambition,  and  every  energy  has  been  bent 
to  the  one  end,  to  attain  that  degree  of  excellence  that  the  ware 
produced  by  the  firm  should  constitute  a  standard  of  value  which 
no  competitor  must  be  allowed  to  excel.  In  the  early  period  white 
ware  only  was  made,  but  when  the  Philadelphia  exhibition  taught 
us  the  crudity  with  which  we  had  been  satisfied  and  instigated 
the  desire  for  an  enrichment  of  our  table  services,  the  Maddock 
firm  was  quick  to  respond  to  the  demand,  and  skilled  engravers 
were  employed  to  make  designs,  and  some  beautiful  printed  pat- 
terns were  the  result.  The  careful  manner  in  which  these  designs 
were  transferred  and  printed  soon  made  them  popular,  and  while 
the  firm  has  of  late  years  used  decalcomania  very  extensively,  it 
still  maintains  its  reputation  for  printed  ware,  and  there  are  not 
lacking  signs  that  the  day  of  the  engraver  and  printer  may  return. 

Alfred  Meakin  bought  the  works  formerly  occupied  by  Tur- 
ner &  Tompkinson,  Tunstall,  in  1881.    He  died  in  1902. 

James  Meakin  commenced  business  in  Longton  in  1845  an<^ 
moved  to  Hanley  in  1848.  He  retired  in  1852  and  was  succeeded 
by  his  sons  James  and  George,  who  in  1859  built  the  Eagle  Works 
at  Joiners  Square.  They  have  branch  works  at  Cobridge  and 
Burslem,  and  the  firm  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  district.  James 
Meakin  died  in  1885  and  George  in  1891.  In  1890  the  business 
was  converted  into  a  limited  liability  company,  of  which  George 
E.  Meakin  is  chairman.  The  Meakins  have  always  been  some- 
thing more  than  large  employers  of  labor,  they  have  been  public 
spirited  men,  who  have  freely  spent  their  money  for  the  benefit 
of  the  worker,  and  Staffordshire  is  indebted  to  them  for  many 
excellent  institutions. 

Johnson  Brothers,  Hanley,  occupy  the  historic  Charles  Street 
Works,  founded  by  William  Mellor  in  1758.  He  made  Egyptian 
black  ware,  as  did  his  successors,  Toft  &  Wheeling.  Toft  & 
May  succeeded  them,  and  a  little  later  May  conducted  the  busi- 


A     POT  T  E  R  Y    PRIMER.  133 

ness  alone.  He  was  succeeded  by  William  Ridgway,  but  the 
business — white  ware  for  the  American  market — did  not  prove  a 
success,  and  J.  W.  Pankhurst  &  Co.  next  occupied  them.  On 
Mr.  Pankhurst's  death,  some  25  years  ago,  they  passed  into  the 
hands  of  their  present  proprietors,  Johnson  Brothers,  and  al- 
most immediately  assumed  importance. 

Other  manufacturers  who  specially  cater  to  the  American 
market  are  W.  H.  Grindley  &  Co.,  Tunstall;  Wood  &  Son,  Burs- 
lem;  Mellor,  Taylor  &  Co.,  Tunstall,  1880,  both  graduates  of  the 
Meakin  Works ;  A.  J.  Wilkinson  &  Co.,  Burslem ;  Bourne  & 
Leigh,  who  succeeded  Blackhurst  &  Bourne ;  Edward  Challinor 
(Baker  &  Co.),  who  succeeded  Bourne,  Baker  &  Bourne,  one  of 
the  first  firms  to  introduce  printing  in  the  potteries,  and  Henry 
Alcock  &  Co.,  Cobridge. 

Another  class  consists  of  those  firms  who  have  come  into 
existence  in  recent  years,  whose  products  are  known  in  this  mar- 
ket, and  a  few  details  concerning  them  may  be  of  interest  and 
possibly — in  some  cases,  probably — furnish  data  to  some  future 
historian. 

Gater,  Hall  &  Co.,  Burslem,  originally  founded  by  T.  &  J. 
A.  Hall  in  1892.    Earthenware,  principally  jugs  and  toilet  sets. 

Sandlands,  Ltd.,  Hanley — W.  Sandland  was  in  business  at 
Stoke  from  1883  to  1893,  making  a  cheap  grade  of  earthenware. 
In  the  latter  year  he  removed  to  Hanley,  and  added  the  manu- 
facture of  bone  china.  They  also  make  a  line  of  vases,  the 
decoration  of  which  is  principally  mechanical. 

A.  G.  Harley  Jones,  Fenton,  founded  in  1901.  The  products- 
consist  of  ornamental  goods,  the  best  work  being  painted  in  un- 
derglaze  colors.  Photographs  by  an  ingenious  method  are  re- 
produced on  the  ware  and  afterward  colored.  The  art  depart- 
ment is  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Warsop.  Mr.  Jones  is  a 
trained  potter  and  has  succeeded  in  building  up  a  large  business. 

E.  Brain  &  Co.,  Fenton,  established  1850.  Manufacture 
bone  china  in  modern  art  designs  of  a  very  choice  quality.  The 
ware  is  known  as  Foley  art  china,  and  more  particularly  as  Pea- 
cock china,  an  honor  paid  to  the  designer,  Mr.  Peacock,  who  has 
produced  a  series  of  patterns  with  somewhat  of  an  Art  Nouveau 
feeling,  but  without  the  extravagance  of  that  school,  being  very 
simple  in  design  and  quiet  and  restful  in  coloring.  The  usual 
gold  adornment  has  been  dispensed  with,  and  would  in  fact  be 
out  of  place,  the  quality  of  body  and  decoration  being  deemed 
sufficient  to  hold  attention.  Mr.  Elijah  Brain,  the  founder,  died 
October,  1910. 

The  Soho  Pottery  Co.,  Tunstall,  earthenware,  was  estab- 
lished in  i860  and  remodeled  in  1904.  Mr.  S.  J.  Simpson  is  the 
managing  director. 

Alfred  Colley  &  Co.,  Tunstall,  earthenware,  dinner  and  tea 


134 


F L O R I  A N    WARE 


ware,  established  1909,  from  the  style  and  quality  of  their  initial 
productions  promise  to  be  prominently  heard  from  in  the  future. 
Alfred  Colley,  the  managing  director,  for  twenty-five  years  held 
a  responsible  position  with  Johnson  Brothers.  The  mark  is  a 
crown  with  the  name  of  the  firm. 

Maclntyre  &  Co.,  Burslem,  manufacturers  of  door  furni- 
ture, etc.,  considerably  increased  their  reputation  with  a  line  of 
ornamental  goods,  which  they  call  Florian.  The  design  is  drawn 
on  the  ware  in  a  raised  line  by  means  of  a  small  glass  tube  in- 
serted in  a  rubber  ball  filled  with  slip  and  the  pattern  then  painted 
with  colored  clays.  The  method  is  an  improvement  on  an  old 
one,  but  the  result  is  so  charming  it  was  accepted  as  something 


A !<1    CHINA,  BY  E.  BRAIN  &  CO.,  FENTON,  ENG. 

quite  new,  which  indeed  it  was.  The  coloring  at  first  was  sub- 
dued, consisting  mostly  of  grays  and  blues;  the  designs  are  good 
and  the  finish  beyond  reproach.  In  the  hands  of  Mr.  W.  Moor- 
croft,  who  is  responsible  for  most  of  the  designs,  Florian  ware 
has  undergone  many  changes,  and  whilst  maintaining  its  original 
character  and  beauty  the  present  day  production  varies  consider- 
ably from  that  of  ten  years  ago,  being  distinguished  by  a  warmth 
of  coloring  rendered  very  unobstrusive  by  the  hard  fire  it  is  sub- 
ject to.  This  ware  is  an  exemplification  of  how  artistic  pottery 
can  be  produced  at  a  moderate  price,  pure  in  shape  and  the  decor- 
ation conforming  in  every  particular  to  the  laws  that  should, 
but  seldom  do,  govern  it.     (See  illustration,  page  158.) 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

ENGLISH  ARTIST  POTTERS — POTTERIES  OUTSIDE  STAFFORDSHIRE 

It  is  a  rather  serious  reflection  that  not  only  in  England,  but 
in  France,  Germany  and  the  United  States,  the  most  meritorious 
pottery  has  not  emanated  from  the  potter,  but  has  been  produced 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER 


H5 


by  amateurs.  In  England  the  names  of  De  Morgan  and  How- 
son  Taylor ;  in  France,  Lachenal,  Deck  and  Carriere ;  in  Ger- 
many, Schmutz-Baudiss,  and  in  America,  Mrs.  Bellamy  Storer. 
In  England,  in  which  we  are  now  interested,  "the  manufacturers 
and  even  the  scientists,"  to  quote  Mr.  F.  A.  Rhead,  "look  on  mat 
and  crystalline  glazes  as  a  phase,  interesting  if  somewhat  freaky, 
and  not  by  any  means  as  the  Ultima  Thule  of  Ceramic  Art."  As 
an  instance  of  this,  the  Worcester  Co.  have  exhibited  some  fine 
specimens  of  crystalline  glazes  but,  we  believe,  have  never  placed 
them  on  the  market,  and  yet  it  will  be  readily  owned  that  this  is  a 
greater  ceramic  achievement  than  gilding  on  raised  paste. 

William  De  Morgan  was  a  stained  glass  painter,  yet  he  gave 
to  England  perhaps  the  most  artistic  pottery  ever  made  there  and 
rediscovered  the  iridescent  lusters  of  the  Italian  potters  of  the 

sixteenth  century.  His  ingenu- 
ity suggested  a  method  in  pro- 
ducing the  designs  never  before 
attempted  and  which  proved 
perfectly  satisfactory.  Associ- 
ated with  him  at  various  times 
were  such  men  as  William 
Morris  and  Halsey  Ricardo 
and  a  number  of  clever  Italian 
craftsmen.  The  work  com- 
menced in  1869  and  has  con- 
tinued to  grow  in  favor,  many 
steamship  lines  using  De  Mor- 
gan's tiles  for  interior  decora- 
tions. It  is  no  small  matter  that 
the  same  man  should  have  given 
to  the  world  these  wonderful 
specimens  of  ceramics  and  have 
contributed  to  literature  works 
of  fiction  which  place  him  among 
the  foremost  writers  of  the  day. 
Harold  Rathbone  started  the  Delia  Robbia  Pottery  at  Birk- 
enhead, about  twenty-five  years  ago,  the  product,  as  the  name 
suggests,  being  based  on  Italian  models.  With  the  assistance  of 
such  men  as  the  late  Ford  Maddox-Brown  and  Conrad  Dressier, 
some  most  interesting  pottery  was  produced,  and  it  is  much  to 
be  regretted  that  either  through  lack  of  proper  management  or 
some  similar  cause,  the  venture  was  discontinued  in  1901. 

The  Martin  Brothers  commenced  making  the  fine  salt  glaze 
stoneware  which  bears  their  name,  at  Fulham  in  1872,  and  seven 
years  later  they  built  a  kiln  at  Southall.  The  decorations  are 
carved,  engraved  or  modeled  on  the  piece,  but  their  great  charm 


MARTIN   STONEWARE. 


136  STAFFORDSHIRE. 

is  their  harmony  of  color,  which  impresses  one  with  a  sense  of 
absolute  satisfaction.  The  work  is  practically  all  done  by  the 
four  brothers,  the  most  gifted  one  being  R.  W.  Martin,  who, 
when  a  student  at  the  Royal  Academy,  "did  work  which  marked 
him  out  as  one  who  would  even  in  England,  where  sculpture  does 
not  hold  a  favored  place,  in  time  achieve  renown."  It  was  fortu- 
nate for  lovers  of  ceramics  that  Mr.  Martin  preferred  to  express 
his  fancies  in  an  art  which  appeals  to  a  wider  circle  rather  than 
confine  it  to  marble.  The  productions  of  the  firm  have  done  much 
to  emphasize  how  beautiful  stoneware  may  become  in  the  hands 
of  such  competent  artist-craftsmen. 

Dr.  Mellor  is  producing  some  extraordinary  crystalline 
glazes,  being  apparently  able  to  regulate  their  size  and  character 
and  more  than  that,  their  position  on  the  piece.  Howson  Tay- 
lor, the  maker  of  Ruskin  ware,  seems  to  have  a  similar  command 
over  mat  glazes,  some  of  the  colors  realized  being  most  remark- 
able and,  while  seeming  to  glow,  are  yet  as  soft  as  a  gray.  He 
is  a  fine  artist,  rarely  uses  any  decoration  on  his  pottery,  and 
when  he  does  so  it  is  of  the  simplest  character,  so  simple  and 
restrained  and  so  much  in  place  that  you  feel  it  is  the  one  thing 
needful. 

The  Staffordshire  tile  manufacturers,  especially  Minton 
Hollins  &  Co.,  have  all  good  mat  glazes,  as  have  also  Maw  &  Co., 
of  Broseley,  and  Pilkington,  of  Manchester.  Thanks  to  the 
services  of  Mr.  William  Burton,  and  the  collaboration  of  such 
artists  as  Louis  F.  Day,  Walter  Crane,  C.  F.  A.  Voysey  and  M. 
Mucha,  this  latter  firm  has  done  much  to  foster  the  beautiful  in 
mural  decoration,  while  in  pottery  they  have  been  no  less  success- 
ful, the  glazes  of  their  Lancastrian  ware  being  wonderful  in  their 
variety  and  quality. 

It  is  not  to  be  taken  for  granted  that  Staffordshire  does  not 
produce  other  than  good  pottery,  good  at  least  as  far  as  the  body 
and  the  potting  are  concerned,  for  there  has  been,  and  though 
in  lesser  quantities  still  is  made,  a  cheap  class  of  ware  both  in 
price  and  quality  to  supply  certain  demands.  Large  quantities 
of  so-called  art  goods  are  produced  as  poorly  conceived  as  they 
are  executed,  and  the  manufacturer  finds  consolation  in  the  re- 
flection that  he  is  meeting  a  popular  demand,  and  so  long  as  the 
training  necessary  to  distinguish  pottery  in  good  taste  from  the 
meretricious  is  absent  this  demand  will  continue  to  exist  and  be 
catered  to.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  pleasant  to  be  able  to  say 
that  some  of  the  smaller  firms  are  making  both  china  and  earth- 
enware every  bit  as  good  in  quality  as  that  made  by  the  leading 
manufacturers. 

With  the  potteries  outside  of  Staffordshire  we  must  deal 
very  rapidly.  The  fine  red  clays  of  Devonshire  are  utilized  in 
that  county  by  a  number  of  manufacturers,  among  whom   are 


A     P  O  T  T  E  R  Y    P  R  I  .1/  E  R  .  u7 

the  Royal  Tormohun  Pottery,  Torquay,  established  in  1880,  who 
make  a  specialty  of  Devonshire  folk  lore,  inscribing  the  quaint 
sayings  on  the  pottery.  Tormohun  is  the  ecclesiastical  name  of 
the  parish  in  which  the  pottery  is  situated.  The  Aller  Vale  Pot- 
tery, near  Newton,  also  uses  mottoes  extensively,  the  decorations, 
like  the  Tormohun,  being  in  colored  slips.  The  Torquay  Pottery 
Co.  make  goods  on  similar  lines  and  also  furnish  a  very  beauti- 
ful and  fine  red  body,  largely  used  for  decorating  in  oil  colors. 
Charles  H.  Brannum,  Barnstaple,  which  has  long  been  the  seat 
of  a  pottery  industry,  in  his  Royal  Barum  ware  has  struck  a  more 
original  line.  Slip  painting  and  graffito  are  both  employed,  but 
the  vari-colored  glazes  which  are  successfully  employed  tend  to 
give  this  ware  a  certain  originality.  There  are  also  potteries  at 
Bovey,  Tracey  and  other  places. 

Sir  E.  H.  Elton,  at  Clevedon  Court,  produces  much  original 
work,  characterized  by  artistic  feeling,  and  his  mat  glazes  are 
fine  in  texture  and  especially  noteworthy. 

The  Burmantofts  pottery,  near  Leeds  (the  Leeds  Fire  Clay 
Co.)  make  a  large  variety  of  ornamental  pieces,  always  well 
modeled  and  finished  in  brilliant  glazes. 

Wm.  Ault  and  Tooth  &  Co.,  at  Burton,  have  both  established 
for  themselves  reputations  for  good  ornamental  pottery  which 
has  sufficient  individuality  to  command  a  good  market.  Tooth's 
yellow  glaze  has  become  a  standard  by  which  all  other  yellows 
are  judged,  and  the  mat  glazes  of  Ault  have  perhaps  no  rival  in 
England.  The  Church  Gresley  Potteries  (T.  G.  Green  &  Co., 
Ltd.),  were  established  in  1821  to  manufacture  cane  ware  from 
Derbyshire  clay.  Rockingham  ware  was  added  in  i860,  and 
general  earthenware  in  1873,  which  necessitated  the  building  of 
another  factory.  The  pottery  has  been  a  success,  and  the  pres- 
ent year  has  seen  the  installation  of  an  electrical  plant.  The  Coch- 
rane pottery,  of  Glasgow,  has  been  in  existence  over  two  hundred 
years.  J.  &  M.  P.  Bell  &  Co.,  the  Campbelfield  Pottery  Co.,  F. 
Grosvenor  and  John  Thompson  &  Sons  have  also  potteries  here. 
The  Nautilus  Porcelain  Co.  turn  their  attention  to  ornamental 
articles  in  china.  It  is  beautifully  made,  often  no  thicker  than 
an  egg  shell. 

Tamworth,  in  the  south  of  Staffordshire,  is  the  seat  of  a 
large  terra  cotta  industry,  Gibbs  &  Canning  (established  1847), 
making  a  fine  line  of  terra  cotta,  enameled  in  brilliant  colors, 
called  by  them  Delia  Robbia  ware,  for  architectural  use.  George 
Skey  &  Co.  make  terra  cotta  of  excellent  workmanship  and  also 
stoneware.  This  by  no  means  exhausts  the  list  of  potteries  in 
England,  for  they  are  scattered  throughout  the  three  kingdoms, 
but  producing  nothing  but  ordinary  staple  goods,  and  which  in 
the  bulk  of  cases  is  not  as  good  as  the  average  Staffordshire 
ware  they  do  not  seem  to  call  for  individual  mention. 


138 


LIMOGES. 
CHAPTER  XX. 

FRANCE. 


LIMOGES — HAVILAND  &  CO. — THE  ALLUAUDS— PORCELAINES  G.  D.  A. 
POUYAT OLD  ABBEY — OTHER  FRENCH   POTTERIES. 

We  have  seen  how  the  discovery  of  kaolin  made  Limoges 
the  pottery  center  of  France,  though  the  decoration  of  the  por- 
celain made  there  was  done  in  Paris,  the  Limoges  manufacturer 
simply  making  the  ware,  just  as  Staffordshire  pottery  was  for  a 
time  sent  to  Liverpool  to  be  printed.  In  neither  case  was  it  an 
economical  arrangement  and  the  adjustment  was  bound  to  come. 
In  the  case  of  Limoges  the  change  was  brought  about  by  an 
American,  David  Haviland,  another  instance  where  an  important 


THE  FIRST  HAVILAND  DECORATING  SHOP.   MOLD  SHOP  ON  THE  RIGHT. 


pottery  industry  owes  its  success  to  foreign  influence.  It  was  in 
1839,  a  quest  he  had  been  conducting  to  find  the  maker  of  a 
piece  of  unmarked  china  that  had  attracted  his  attention  on  ac- 
count of  the  superiority  of  its  paste,  finally  landed  him  at  Limoges. 
This  was  a  step  accomplished,  but  the  existing  shapes  were  not 
suitable  to  the  American  market  and  he  had  to  furnish 
models  to  the  manufacturer  who  was  with  difficulty  per- 
suaded to  consider  such  an  innovation.  Whilst  his  or- 
ders were  being  executed  he  organized  a  decorating 
shop — it  was  made  out  of  a  conservatory — employed 
skilled  artists  and  pupils  and  in  this  manner  started  a  business 
which  has  made  the  name  Haviland  &  Co.  famous  the  world  over. 
Importations  to  America  commenced  in  1840,  where  the  quality 
of  the  ware  was  quickly  recognized,  and  from  an  average  of 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


139 


$100,000  in  the  first  ten  years,  the  exports  in  1880  had  reached 
a  million  and  a  half.  This  was  the  success  that  followed  honest 
endeavor — a  determination  that  the  paste  should  be  as  good  as 
the  skill  of  the  chemist  could  make  it,  the  decoration  suitable  in 
character  and  artistically  expressed  and  the  craftsmanship  beyond 
reproach.  The  manufacturing-  plant  from  a  modest  start  grew 
rapidly,  new  factories  have  been  built,  modern  labor-saving  de- 
vices installed   and  upwards  of  twenty-five  hundred  people  are 


PORCELAIN. 


now  reaping  the  benefit  of  Mr.  David  Haviland's  acumen  and 
enterprise.  Whilst  the  energies  of  the  firm  have  been  directed 
mainly  to  the  production  of  utilitarian  articles,  in  1873,  when 
Messrs.  Chaplet,  Laurin  and  Lafond  originated  the  process  of 
decorating  the  unbaked  clay  with  colored  slips,  Mr.  Haviland  was 
quick  to  perceive  its  merits  and  with  the  resources  at  his  com- 
mand considerably  improved  it.  Such  artists  as  M.  and  Madame 
Bracquemond,  Ringel,  Noel,  Aube,  Delaplanche,  Lindener,  Pal- 
landre,  and  Ed  and  Al  Dammouse  by  their  artistic  work  ren- 
dered it  a  noteworthy  production.  It  was  an  old  method,  it  is 
true,  but  in  Haviland's  hands  by  its  boldness  of  treatment  and 


140 


H  A  V  I  L  A  N  D 


& 


C  0 


artistic  freedom  it  became  the  forerunner  of  a  number  of  imi- 
tators, establishing  a  school. 

Then  Mr.  Haviland's  attention  was  turned  to  grcs  in  which 
larger  pieces  were  possible,  and  an  artistic  success  was  attained 
and  some  very  striking  pieces  made,  some  of  which  are  illus- 
trated here  for  the  first  time.  The  Persian  blue  of  Nevers,  which 
rivaled  that  of  Persia,  was  also  reproduced,  and  an  impetus  given 
to  grand  feu  work  in  porcelain.  There  is  no  question  as  to  the 
artistic  success  of  these  experiments,  but  they  were  a  little  in 


GRES. 


PORCELAIN. 


advance  of  the  times  and  the  effort  was  abandoned,  a  decision 
the  art  lover  has  every  reason  to  regret.  It  was  the  Havilands 
who  introduced  the  chromo  lithographic  decorations  on  porce- 
lain, a  method  since  followed  by  practically  every  manufacturer 
in  the  world.  Haviland  porcelain  is  the  standard  by  which  all 
others  are  judged,  and  the  success  the  house  has  achieved  has 
been  the  result  of  honest  endeavor  accompanied  by  a  determina- 
tion not  to  pander  to  public  taste  but  by  artistic  excellence  to 
elevate  it  and  encourage  a  love  of  the  beautiful  in  articles  of 
every-day   use. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


141 


Theodore  Haviland  was 
one  of  the  partners  in  the 
firm  of  Haviland  &  Co.,  and 
when  the  dissolution  of 
partnership  took  place,  Janu- 
ary 1,  1892,  the  old  firm 
being  reorganized  as  a  stock 
company,  Mr.  Theodore  de- 
cided to  organize  another 
company,  and  they  erected  a 
new  factory,  adopting  all  the 
most  modern  improvements 
and  making  it  probably  the 
most  up-to-date  pottery  in 
Limoges.  An  efficient  staff 
was  organized,  and  in  a  very 
short  time  the  new  shapes 
and  decorations  were  on  the 
market  and  the  success  of 
the  enterprise  was  never  in 
doubt,  the  business  steadily 
growing  until  it  has  assumed 
its  present  large  proportions. 
It  is  distinctly  a  dinner  ware 
house,  and  every  energy  is 
concentrated  to  maintain  and 
improve  their  present  stand- 
ard of  excellence.  Once  only  did  they  depart  from  this  rule,  and 
that  was  for  the  Paris  Exhibition,  when  some  ornamental  pieces 
were  made  which  excited  the  most  favorable  comment. 

We  have  before  alluded  to  the  Casseaux  Works,  founded  by 
Francois  Alluaud,  the  brother-in-law  of  the  Girondist  Vergniaud, 
in  1797,  which  passed  into  the  hands  of  Charles  Field  Haviland  in 
1876,  his  wife  being  a  granddaughter  of  M.  Alluaud.  Alluaud 
pere  was  a  man  of  considerable  importance,  being  mayor  of 
Limoges  in  1792.  In  1789  he  was  not  only  a  representative  in 
the  General  Assembly,  but  the  director  of  the  old  Grellet  factory, 
which  had  then  come  under  the  control  of  the  Royal  Manufac- 
tory of  Sevres  (1789-1793).  He  had  already  found  time  to  pub- 
lish, in  1765,  1768  and  1769,  several  important  technical  book<. 
He  owned,  and  it  is  still  in  possession  of  the  family,  one  of  the 
most  important  clay  mines  in  St.  Yriex,  founding  a  factory  in 
1797  or  1798.  He  died  in  1799,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son 
Frangois,  who  continued  his  father's  experiments,  and  brought 
them  to. a  successful  issue.  The  citizens  of  Limoges  repeated  the 
honor  they  had  already  conferred  on  his  father,  by  electing  him 
mayor  of  the  city  in  1830  and  again  in  1832. 


GRES. 


142 


THE    ALLUAUDS 


Following  the  practice  of  the  other  Limoges  manufacturers, 
the  attention  of  the  Alluauds  was  directed  to  the  perfecting  of  the 
paste,  but  some  experiments  were  made  about  1815  in  underglaze 
or  "furnace  fire''  colors,  very  interesting  examples  of  which  are 


EMPIRE  SET,  GRANDFEU,   1815. 

to  be  seen  in  museums  and  private  collections.  Of  about  the 
same  date  is  the  Chinese  shape,  a  very  fine  example  of  modeling, 
the  details  of  which  are  unfortunately  lost  in  the  illustration. 
The  body  varies  considerably  from  that  of  to-day,  being  almost 
pate  tendre. 

Charles  Field  Haviland  succeeded  the  Alluauds,  and  he  was 
succeeded  in  1881  by  E.  Gerard,  Dufraissiex  and  Morel,  after- 
wards changed  to  E.  Gerard,  Dufraissiex  &  Cie.  January  4, 
1901,  this  and  the  firm  of  Gerard,  Dufraissiex  &  Abbot,  of  New 


j    S/- 


V 


CHINESE   SHAPE. 


York,  were  consolidated  and  the  entire  business  consolidated  as  a 
socicte  anonyme,  under  the  corporate  title  of  Porcelaines  G.  D. 
A.,  the  former  partners  being  the  sole  stockholders,  and  the  en- 
tire business  placed  in  the  hands  of  three  directors,  Emile  Gerard, 
Jules  Dufraissiex  and  Frank  P.  Abbot.     Previous  to  this,  early 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER.  143 

in  1898,  an  important  change  had  been  made  in  the  trade  mark, 
a  change  that  only  the  most  absolute  confidence  in  both  the  ar- 
tistic and  intrinsic  merits  of  their  productions  warranted,  for  they 
put  aside  all  the  aid  and  prestige  that  their  established  marks  had 
given  them,  adopting  an  entirely  different  mark.  There  was 
much  speculation  at  the  time  as  to  the  wisdom  of  this,  but  time, 
the  great  arbitrator,  has  fully  justified  their  courage. 

M.  Dufraissiex  died  in  1901,  and  the  business  was  continued 
by  the  two  remaining  partners  until  1907,  when  Mr.  Abbot  re- 
tired as  a  partner,  shortly  afterwards,  however,  resuming  the 
management  of  the  New  York  business. 

The  reputation  M.  Gerard  had  obtained  in  Limoges  was 
fully  sustained  by  the  large  business  resulting  and  the  technical 
advances  made  under  his  management,  and  in  1892  it  was  found 
necessary  to  entirely  remodel  and  enlarge  the  works,  its  produc- 
ing capacity  being  increased  nearly  50  per  cent.     While  primarily 


DE  FORESQUE   WARE,    1895. 

manufacturers  of  utilitarian  ware  Porcelaines  G.  D.  A.  has 
demonstrated  its  ability  to  produce  artistic  goods  of  an  ornamen- 
tal character,  and  their  exhibits  at  the  World's  Fair  and  Paris  in- 
cluded many  exquisite  examples  of  feu  de  four,  which  necessitates 
the  employment  of  colors  requiring  the  same  heat  as  the  body  it- 
self, thus  securing  the  closest  possible  affinity,  the  great  desidera- 
tum in  all  pottery.  The  colors  were  much  brighter  than  any 
previously  employed,  and  included  pinks  and  delicate  lilacs  of 
beautiful  tone  and  softness,  the  color  so  assimilated  with  the 
glaze  as  to  render  it  impossible  to  separate  them.  Applied  to 
table  services  the  result  is  so  distinctive  as  to  warrant  our  regard- 
ing the  process  as  a  real  advance  in  ceramics.  In  honor  of  the 
artist,  George  De  Feure,  this  was  called  De  Foresque  ware  and 
it  included  in  addition  to  some  good  shapes  in  vases  a  number  of 
exquisitely  modeled  animals,  some  of  which  we  illustrate. 


144 


LIMOGES 


OLD  ABBEY   POTTERY 


The  Old  Abbey  Pottery 
is  housed  in  part  of  the 
monastery  founded  in  the 
year  631  by  St.  Eloi,  mini- 
ster to  King  Dagobert,  and 
which  after  being  de- 
stroyed was  rebuilt  by  the 
Emperor  Charlemagne. 
Once  celebrated  for  its 
beautiful  enamels,  it  is  now 
winning  new  honors  in 
porcelain,  part  of  the  ab- 
bey having  been  turned 
into  a  pottery  in  18 10. 
The  illustration  shows  the 
old  abbey  which  is  main- 
tained by  the  Government, 
the  pottery  being  housed  in  the  quadrangle.  The  works  were 
founded  by  Firmin  Latrille,  one  of  a  group  of  men  including 
Labesse,  Raymond  Laporte,  Ardant  and  Perigault,  who  did  much 
to  establish  the  prestige  of  Limoges.  Some  of  the  old  shapes, 
beautifully  modeled  and  graceful  in  outline,  are  still  in  use.  The 
recent  developments  have  been  quite  rapid,  and  an  aggressive 
policy  combined  with  the  application  of  artistic  ideas,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  a  fine  body  and  glaze,  are  pushing  the  products  of  this 
pottery  rapidly  to  the  front. 

The  finely  modeled 
jug  illustrated,  designed 
and  modeled  by  Con- 
stant Sevin  was  pro- 
duced about  1855  by 
Jouhanneaud  and  Du- 
bois, now  Jouhanneaud 
and    Boudet,    Limoges. 

When  kaolin  was  first 
discovered  at  St.  Yriex, 
Pierre  Pouyat  had  al- 
ready a  faience  factory 
there  (about  1760). 
Recognizing  the  import- 
ance of  the  discovery, 
he  bought  a  bed  of  the 
finest  quality,  and,  pur- 
chasing the  pottery,  La 
Courtille,  near  Fon- 
taine du  Roi.  Paris,  he 
d  ►mmenced  manuf actur- 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER.  MS 

ing  there,  changing  the  character  of  the  production  alto- 
gether. It  was  one  of  the  largest  of  the  five  Paris 
potteries  and  was  founded  in  1773  by  Jean  Baptiste  Locre,  who 
made  hard  porcelain  in  imitation  of  Meissen,  and  this  led  to  the 
pottery  being  known  as  "Manufactur  cle  Porcelain  Allemand," 
and  specimens  of  "Old  Pouyat,"  including  the  well-known  Bar- 
beau  pattern,  are  eagerly  sought.  The  coulage  or  casting  pro- 
cess was  employed  here  as  early  as  1791,  and  at  La  Courtille  they 
were  the  first  to  use  grand  feu  colors.  His  son  Francois,  who 
had  been  associated  with  him,  died  in  1838,  aged  86  years,  and 
was  succeeded  by  his  son,  J.  Pouyat  who,  in  1842,  built  a  factory 
at  Limoges.  At  his  death  he  was  succeeded  by  his  sons,  Emile, 
Louis  and  Eugene.  The  Pouyat  china  is  noted  for  its  fine  tex- 
ture. Some  cups  of  eggshell  lightness  attracted  much  attention 
and  won  for  them  the  name  of  tosses  mousseline,  which  has 
since  become  the  accepted  name  for  extremely  thin  cups. 

In  1890  Emile  Pouyat  retired  and  was  succeeded  by  Baron 
de  la  Bastide  and  M.  Dubreuil.  While  still  maintaining  the 
quality  of  the  paste,  the  trend  of  business  necessitated  the  decora- 
tion of  the  ware,  a  not  unfortunate  circumstance,  for  Pouyat 
has  given  us  some  charming  decorations,  not  only  in  services,  but 
in  the  less  utilitarian  articles  which  serve  to  decorate  our  houses 
and  by  their  beauty  add  to  our  aesthetic  enjoyment. 

The  firm  of  Martin  Freres  was  established  in  1871  and  was 
composed  of  Pierre  and  Charles  Martin  who  withdrew  from  the 
Pouyat  factory.  At  first  they  were  decorators  only,  but  later 
erected  a  pottery  and  manufactured  their  own  china.  On  the 
death  of  Pierre  Martin,  the  business  passed  entirely  into  the 
hands  of  Charles  Martin,  who  is  the  present  proprietor.  The 
firm  has  shown  considerable  enterprise  and  some  specimens  of 
pate-sur-pate  show  much  artistic  feeling.  They  were  among  the 
first  potters  in  France  to  produce  incrusted  gold  patterns. 

A.  Lanternier,  established  1885,  succeeded  his  father,  who 
had  carried  on  a  decorating  business.  M.  Lanternier's  early 
training  was  with  the  historic  house  of  Wedgwoods,  Etruria. 
His  Trainon  shape  from  its  originality  and  beauty  of  line  at 
once  placed  him  high  in  the  ranks  of  Limoges  manufacturers. 

M.  Redon.  Founded  in  1853  by  M.  Martial  Redon,  and  now 
conducted  by  his  sons.  M.  Redon,  for  the  valuable  assistance  he 
rendered  to  the  Imperial  China  Works  at  St.  Petersburg,  was 
made  Knight  of  St.  Stanislas  of  Russia  by  Alexander  III.  M. 
Redon  died  in  1891.  From  1867  to  1878  special  attention  was 
given  to  pate-sur-pate  decorations,  and  the  exhibit  of  this  in  1878 
showed  some  remarkable  pieces  in  this  style. 

R.  Delinieres  &  Co.,  established  about  1847  as  a  manufac- 
tory of  white  ware,  a  decorating  department  being  added  in  1881. 
M.    Delinieres,   the    founder,    was   one   of   the    directors   of   the 


146 


LIMOGES 


Sevres  works.     The  firm  was  succeeded  recently  by  L.  Bernard- 
aud  &  Co. 

Chas.  Ahrenfeldt  started  a  decorating  shop  in  1884  and  two 
years  later  commenced  to  make  china.  His  son,  Charles  J.,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  business.  The  body  is  one  of  the  best  made  in 
Limoges,  and  a  distinct  effort  has  been  made  to  depart  from  the 
stereotyped  style  of  decoration  and  evolve  something  different. 
The  illustration  of  their  reproduction  of  the  service  made  at 
Sevres  for  Louis  Philippe  for  the  Chateau  de  Fountainbleau  is  a 
case  in  point  and  is  beautifully  executed. 


There  are  many  other  factories  in  Limoges,  among  which 
may  be  mentioned  La  Seynie,  Tressemanes  &  Vogt,  L'union 
Ceramique  (Chateau  china),  the  Elite  works  and  W.  Guerin  & 
Co.  Limoges  china  generally  has  earned  for  itself  a  high  repu- 
tation, and  while  some  of  the  makers  receive  here  scant  recog- 
nition it  does  not  by  any  means  follow  that  their  productions 
are  in  any  way  less  worthy  of  exploitation. 

Scattered  throughout  France  there  are  a  large  number  of 
potteries  producing  earthenware  and  faience,  the  latter  including 
some  clever  reproductions  of  the  Rouen,  Nevers  and  Strasburg 
schools.  Those  made  by  Jules  and  Courquin  Fourmaintreaux,  of 
Calais,  occupy  an  honorable  position.  The  potteries  at  Mon- 
tereau,  Creil,  Longwy,  Sarreguemines,  Bordeaux  and  Choisy-le- 
Roi  are  under  the  control  of  the  "Comptoir  Ceramique,"  an  or- 
ganization formed  to  regulate  production  and  prices.  Most  of 
these  potteries  were  founded  by  Englishmen,  and  while  the  first 
productions  were  good  they  soon  degenerated,  but  were  rescued 
from  desuetude  through  the  exertions  of  M.  de  St.  Amand,  as- 
sisted by  Alexander  Brongniart.     The  Bordeaux  factory,  founded 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


14; 


in  1714,  was  closed  by  the  Comptoir  Ceramique,  but  there  is  an 
independent  factory  there  called  "Faiengerie  Bordelaise,"  where 
decorated  earthenware  is  made. 

The  initiative  of  the  Eng- 
lish style  of  earthenware  in 
France  is  particularly  due  to 
Charles  Leigh.  His  potteo 
at  Douai  was  founded  111 
1 78 1  and  from  here  came 
one  by  one  the  overseers  and 
workmen  who  created  the 
potteries  we  have  mentioned. 
The  soup  tureen  illustrated 
made  at  Longwy,  from  a  de- 
sign furnished  by  Napoleon 
I,  is  a  good  example  of  the 
period. 

Clement  Massier,  Golf 
Juan,  was  one  of  the  first  to 
reproduce  the  reflets  metalli- 
ques  of  the  Persians,  and  is 
still  unrivaled  in  them.  His  glazes  in  imitation  of  the  second- 
ary precious  stones  are  wonderfully  brilliant,  and  there  is  a  de- 
cided individuality  in  his  work,  which  is  irresistible. 

The  old-established  works  at  Luneville  have  been  in  the 
hands  of  Sebastien  Keller  and  his  descendants  since  1786.  Orig- 
inally established  in  1729  by  Jaques  Chambrette,  it  made  such  a 
good  showing  that  in  1758  the  king  renewed  the  privilege  prev- 
iously granted  and  conferred  on  it  the  title  "Manufacture  Royale." 
Here  were  produced  the  best  works  of  the  sculptor  Cyffle,  who 
excelled  in  modeling  rustic  and  popular  types,  the  real  and  pic- 
turesque side  of  which  he  rendered  in  the  happiest  and  most 
humorous  mood. 

These  little-iaience  figures,  notwithstanding  Cyffle's  lack  of 
education,  show  a  thorough  knowledge  of  modeling,  an  inherent 
skill  and  delicacy  of  touch  which  has  given  them  a  really  artistic 
and  intrinsic  value.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  wild  and  profligate 
life  he  led,  Cyffle  would  undoubtedly  have  risen  to  greater 
heights.     He  died  at  Bruges  in  1806  in  obscurity  and  poverty. 

The  reproduction  of  Palissy  pieces  by  Avisseau  was  the  first 
of  a  series  of  efforts  which  initiated  the  ceramic  renaissance  in 
France,  a  movement  that  placed  her  as  leader  of  the  ceramic 
world.  Some  of  the  principal  leaders  in  this  are  Theodore 
Deck,  Emile  Galle,  Lachenal,  Delaherche,  Damousse,  Glatigny, 
etc. 

Theodore  Deck,  in  1859,  founded  a  small  pottery  in  the 
Impasse  des  Favorites,  Paris,  where  one  by  one  he  reproduced 


143 


FRENCH    ARTIST     POTTERS 


in  a  most  masterly  maimer  all  the  triumphs  of  former  days  and  no 
ceramic  puzzle  seemed  too  difficult  for  him  to  solve.  Persian 
faience  of  golden  hue,  the  splendid  carnation  red  of  the  East- 
ern potters,  the  glazes  and  enamels  of  the  Chinese,  the  intricacies 
of  the  wonderful  faience  d'  Oiron  and  reproductions  of  Hispano- 
Moresque  ware  followed  each  other  with  startling  rapidity.     The 

frontispiece  of  Palisay  finished 
in  colored  glazes  in  which  the 
beautiful  blue  known  as  Deck 
blue  predominates  in  his  cre- 
ation and  is  said  to  be  the  larg- 
est piece  of  pottery  ever  made 
in  Europe. 

Perhaps  no  less  important 
than  that  of  Deck  is  the  work 
of  Emile  Galle  of  Nantes,  who 
both  in  glass  and  pottery  is 
producing  work  of  the  highest 
technical  skill  and  artistic  ex- 
cellence. In  this  renaissance 
of  the  potter's  art  in  France 
gres  has  been  the  favorite  med 
ium  of  these  artist  potters  and 
with  this  simple  material  won- 
derful results  have  been  ob- 
tained. The  grotesque  of  Car- 
ries, the  works  of  Zeigler, 
Delaherche  and  Chaplet  are  all 
evidence  of  this.  Pull  and 
Barbizet,  both  of  Paris,  made 
fine  reproductions  of  Palissy 
ware  as  well  as  more  original  creations.  Sevres  uses  gres  largely 
and  the  bold  and  artistic  pieces  made  are  so  much  in  advance 
of  the  ormula  mounted  and  overloaded  with  decoration  pieces 
formerly  produced  that  one  wonders  how  they  were  ever  toler- 
ated.  AT.  Lachenal,  too,  uses  this  body  and  enriches  it  with 
flamme  glazes,  but  this  is  only  one  of  the  mediums  resorted  to 
by  this  artist  potter.  Pate-sur-pate,  glaze  crystallizations  and 
reflets  metalliques  spring  like  magic  from  his  fingers.  (See  illus- 
tration, page  158.) 

Taxile  Doat  has  also  done  excellent  work  in  both  gres  and 
pate-sur-pate.  lie  is  now  connected  with  the  Woman's  Insti- 
tution at  St.  Louis. 


DI'XK    POTTERY. 


A     POTTERY    1>  R  I  .1/  /:'  A' 


149 


HOLLAND BELGIUM- 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

—NORWAY    AND    SWEDEN — ITALY- 
HOLLAND. 


-RUSSIA. 


There  were  several  manufactories  of  porcelain  in  Holland 
founded  chiefly  at  that  period  when,  owing  to  the  Seven  Years' 
War,  the  art  languished  in  Germany.  Of  these  the  principal  one 
was  at  Weesp,  near  Amsterdam,  1764  to  1781.  It  was  reopened 
at  Loosdrecht  and  then  transferred  to  Amstel,  but  did  not  exist 
more  than  twelve  or  fifteen  years.  In  1778  a  porcelain  pottery 
was  established  at  The  Hague,  but  political  events  brought  it  to 
a  close  about  1793.  The  production  was  similar  to  that  of  Ger- 
many, but  as  it  was  restricted  to  home  consumption  it  never 
assumed  any  importance. 

The  faience  of  both  Amsterdam  and  Arnheim  of  the  18th 
century  rivaled  that  of  Delft.  Of  Delft  we  have  already  spoken. 
The  "Porcelain  Bottle"  and  "The  Bell''  were  the  only  two  pot- 
teries remaining  in  existence  there  in  1848,  and  in  that  year  "The 
Bell"  was  silenced  forever.  The  former,  conducted  by  two  sis- 
ters, led  a  precarious  existence  until  about  1874,  when  Thooft 
and  Labouchere  bought  it  and  with  the  assistance  of  M.  Adolph 
Lecompte  instilled  new  life  in  it,  adapting  the  old  Dutch  methods 
to  modern  requirements.  Whilst  many  reproductions  have  been 
made,  much  clever  and  original  pottery,  strong  in  character  and 
perfect  in  technical  skill,  has  been  produced,  and  Delft  has  re- 
sumed its  old  position  as  a  pottery  producing  center. 

About  1885,  a  German  nobleman, 
von  Gudenburg,  and  Mr.  Colenbrander, 
established  the  Rosenburg  factory,  which 
had  no  great  success  until  1893,  when 
they  were  joined  by  J.  J.  Kok,  who  later 
became  art  director.  He  had  a  fine 
sense  of  form  and  color,  but  not  much 
technical  skill,  and  this  induced  him  to 
collaborate  with  M.  N.  Engelen,  an 
eminent  chemist,  and  under  this  dual 
management  the  porcelain  that  as- 
tounded the  world  when  first  shown  at 
the  Paris  Exhibition  was  produced.  The 
h  body  is  an  extremely  fine  one,  the  shape 
most  original  in  form  without  being 
bizarre,  and  the  decoration  as  original 
as  the  shapes.  Masses  of  color  are  ob- 
tained, not  by  broad  washes,  but  innum- 
erable fine  lines,  part  of  the  design  being 
executed  in  grand  feu  colors  and  the  re- 
Casting  is  employed,  the  body  being  ex- 


ROSENBURG. 


mainder  on  the  glaze. 


ISO  HOLLAND,    NORWAY,    SWEDEN. 

tremely  thin,  and  considering  the  acute  angles  in  many  of  the 
pieces,  their  delicacy  and  the  high  heat  at  which  they  are  fired, 
they  must  be  regarded  as  evidence  of  the  highest  technical  skill. 

The  De  Distel  Pottery  produces  a  rich  cream  body,  decorated 
with  art  noveau  designs  in  liquid  colors. 

At  Maastricht  are  the  potteries  of  Petrus  Regout  and  Co., 
one  of  the  largest  factories  in  the  world  producing  earthenware 
on  the  English  plan.  They  absorbed  the  house  of  Louis  Regout 
and  Co.,  porcelain  manufacturers,  but  we  have  no  information  as 
to  present  production.  There  is  also  the  Societe  Ceramique  at 
Wyk  near  Maastricht. 

E.  Estie  &  Co.,  Gouda,  have  produced,  in  earthenware, 
pieces  similar  in  style  and  decoration  to  the  Rosenburg  ware,  in 
addition  to  more  original  pieces  with  a  combination  of  ornament 
and  Dutch  heads  and  landscapes  in  very  soft  and  harmonious 
colors. 

G.  M.  Augustijn,  of  the  "De  Kat"  pottery,  Bergen-ap-Zoom, 
produces  an  inlaid  ware  decorated  in  liquid  colors  very  soft  and 
harmonious  in  effect. 

NORWAY  AND   SWEDEN. 

Gustafsberg,  an  island  in  the  Baltic  Sea,  about  fourteen 
miles  from  Stockholm,  has  an  interesting  pottery.  It  was  founded 
by  Godenius  about  1828,  the  commonest  sort  of  ware  being  first 
produced.  This  was  gradually  improved  and  about  1850  wares 
similar  to  those  made  in  England,  including  parian,  were  made. 
The  island  came  into  the  possession  of  Air.  O.  W.  Odelberg,  for 
twenty-three  years  a  member  of  the  Swedish  Senate,  and  he 
conceived  the  idea  of  building  a  "Garden  City"  for  his  work- 
people and  to-day  he  is  the  ruler  of  over  three  thousand  people, 
whose  welfare,  both  morally,  socially  and  physically  is  his  par- 
ticular care.  Gustafsberg  is  in  fact  a  kingdom  in  itself,  a  social- 
istic experiment  which  so  far  has  yielded  the  happiest  results. 
The  man  who  is  willing  to  work — and  none  other  is  tolerated — 
is  free  from  the  petty  cares  of  life,  no  rent  day  stares  him  in  the 
face,  the  education  of  his  children  is  assured,  and  all  reasonable 
opportunities  afforded  for  his  mental  advancement.  Even  elec- 
tricity to  light  his  home  is  furnished  him.  Mr.  O.  W.  Odelburg 
looks  after  the  administrative  part  of  the  estate,  the  manage- 
ment of  the  pottery  being  vested  in  his  son,  Alex  S.  W.  Odel- 
burg. A  comparatively  young  man,  his  energies  have  been  bent 
to  improving  the  quality  of  the  wares  and  how  the  production 
can  be  simplified  by  machinery  driven  by  electric  power,  the  plant 
being  eventually  completely  electrified. 

The  earthenware  produced  goes  mostly  to  the  Scandinavian 
market  of  which  the  firm  has  almost  a  monopoly  for  this  class  of 
ware.    Recently  a  fine  quality  of  bone  china  has  been  made  which 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER.  151 

from  its  careful  finish  and  artistic  designs  is  destined  to  increase 
the  prestige,  it  has  already  obtained.  Associated  with  the  pottery 
are  a  number  of  clever  artists  engaged  in  the  decoration  of  vases 
and  utilitarian  articles,  those  illustrated  being  the  work  of  Mr. 
Jekberg.     (See  illustration  page  159.) 

The  Egersunda  Faience  Pottery,  Christiana,  makes  earthen- 
ware similar  to  that  of  Sweden  and  china  decorated  in  the  classi- 
cal manner  prevalent  in  the  north.  There  is  also  a  porcelain 
factory  at  Porsguncl. 

The  old  Rorstrand  pottery  was  founded  in  1727.  It  was 
not  at  first  very  successful,  but  under  the  direction  of  Conrad 
Hunger,  a  Meissen  decorator,  assumed  some  importance.  In 
1735  the  three  crowns  of  Sweden  were  adopted  as  a  trade-mark. 
The  works  were  closed  in  1788,  but  have  been  revived  with  very 
gratifying  success.  The  productions  vary  from  a  fine  quality 
of  bone  china  to  large  ornamental  pieces  in  majolica  and  ser- 
vices in  earthenware.  To  make  the  product  typical  many  dis- 
tinctively Swedish  designs  have 
been  carried  out,  the  Swedish 
peasants  portrayed  and  the 
works  of  Bellman,  the  Robert 
Burns  of  Sweden,  utilized. 

Much  of  the  success  of  this 
pottery  is  due  to  Mr.  Robert 
Alstrom,  the  director,  the  num- 
ber of  people  engaged  having 
risen  from  two  hundred,  when 
he  took  the  reins  of  manage- 
ment, to  over  one  thousand. 

The  pottery  at  Marieburg  was 
founded  in  1758,  the  products 
being  of  the  Strasburg  school.  In  striving  for  originality  some 
curious  and  bizarre  shapes  were  evolved,  for  instance  a  bishop's 
mitre  was  made  to  do  duty  as  a  soup  tureen.  The  English  print- 
ing process  was  adopted  in  1765.    The  works  were  closed  in  1780. 

BELGIUM. 

At  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century  there  were  two  pot- 
teries at  Ardenne,  one  of  which  produced  some  remarkable  groups 
by  Richardot,  a  celebrated  Brussels  modeler.  Up  to  the  begin- 
ning of  last  century  a  large  business  in  printed  earthenware  was 
carried  on  there.  Brussels  in  the  eighteenth  century  made  faience 
equal  to  either  Normandy  or  Delft.  Peterynck  obtained  in  1750 
the  privilege  of  manufacturing  porcelain  at  Tournai,  employing 
mostly  English  workmen.  Some  fine  colors  were  realized  and 
much  imitation  Sevres  ware  was  produced,  the  reproduction 
being  very  skilful.     Boch  Freres,  La  Louviere,  are  responsible 


1 52  R  U  S  S  I  A  . 

for  some  remarkable  work,  their  reproduction  of  Delft  and 
Rhodian  wares  being  especially  noteworthy.  They  also  produce 
tiles  with  crystalization  of  great  depth  and  beauty.  There  is  a 
pottery  at  Hasselt  making  colored  glaze  wares,  and  others  at 
Viny  and  Quaregnon-Wasmuel. 

RUSSIA. 

Except  in  a  few  cases  our  knowledge  of  Russian  ceramics 
is  not  in  proportion  to  its  extent,  one  Russian  firm  manufactur- 
ing china  and  earthenware,  according  to  the  London  Pottery 
Gazette,  which  is  generally  well  informed,  finding  employment 
for  thirty  thousand  hands,  which  is  far  in  excess  of  any  other 
pottery  in  the  world.  In  1700  Peter  the  Great  induced  some 
Delft  potters  to  start  a  works  at  St.  Petersburg,  and  in  1700 
another  works  was  started  at  Revel  by  German  workmen.  This 
first  factory  or  one  contemporary  with  it  was  purchased  by  the 
Empress  Elizabeth  in  1756  and  the  manufacture  of  porcelain 
was  commenced  and  has  been  uninterruptedly  continued  to  the 
present  day.  Under  Catherine  II  it  was  considerably  enlarged, 
artists  from  Sevres  were  engaged  and  the  way  was  paved  for 
the  fine  productions  which  have  distinguished  it.  The  paste  is 
very  hard  and  of  a  slightly  bluish  cast,  but  the  prices  demanded 
are  so  high  that  as  far  as  bulk  is  concerned  it  has  never  assumed 
importance. 

In  1835  Michael  Kornilow  established  a  china  factory  in 
St.  Petersburg,  the  workmen  being  recruited  from  the  Imperial 
works.  From  two  kilns  and  about  eighty  workmen  it  has  grad- 
ually increased  in  size  and  now  covers  thirty-five  acres  of  ground 
and  employs  six  hundred  workmen.  The  kaolin  used  is  from 
Glouchoff,  province  of  Tschernigoff,  the  felspar  from  Finland 
and  a  clay  from  Borovitschi,  Novgovod  is  also  employed.  The 
firm  is  now  Kornilow  Brothers.  The  body  is  a  good  one,  equal 
to  any  made  in  Europe,  and  with  its  typical  Russian  style  of 
decorations  has  created  a  good  deal  of  favorable  comment.  It 
possesses  a  strong  individuality,  the  handles  and  some  of  the 
shapes  being  characterized  by  striking  originality.  Figures  in 
Russian  costumes  were  made  at  Twer  by  Gamier  about  1756. 
Korzec  in  Poland  has  had  a  porcelain  works  since  1803.  An 
Englishman  named  Gardner  established  a  pottery  at  St.  Peters- 
burg in  1789  and  there  are  also  works  there  owned  by  A.  Popoff 
and  M.  Gulena.  M.  S.  Kousnetrof  &  Co.,  Moscow,  make  Rus- 
sian figures  in  native  costume  and  Kusnettsoffs  have  a  pottery 
about  seventy  miles  from  St.  Petersburg,  employing  about  2,000 
hands. 

ITALY. 

There  are  a  great  number  of  potteries  in  Italy,  mostly  pro- 
ducing goods  of  a  mediocre  character,  and  with  few  exceptions 


A     POTTERY    PRIM  11  R.  153 

they  do  not  call  for  special  mention.  In  view  of  the  prominent 
position  once  occupied  by  Italy  in  the  ceramic  world  this  is 
rather  remarkable,  as  the  potting  instinct  is  not  easily  eradicated 
or  its  traditions  forgotten.  But  had  it  not  been  for  Ginori,  Can- 
tagelli  and  a  few  artist  potters  of  whom  Salvini  is  a  type,  its 
ceramic  productions  could  have  been  briefly  dismissed.  Antibone 
de  Nove  and  Raphael  Passarin,  of  Bassano ;  the  Castellanias,  of 
Rome,  and  Laverno  all  deserve  mention.  The  Signa  pottery 
produces  copies  of  antiques  with  an  ivory  finish ;  Mazzarella,  of 
Naples,  pieces  with  fruits  in  high  relief ;  Pesaro  has  several 
majolica  factories,  and  the  Florio  family,  the  lords  of  Sicily, 
have  a  pottery  producing  hotel  ware  and  a  little  china.  Men- 
ghetti,  of  Bologna,  works  on  similar  lines  to  Ginori  and  his 
work  is  extremely  good.  Cacceapnote,  of  Naples,  also  does 
good  work,  earning  the  gold  medal  at  the  Milan  Exhibition. 
The  Cantagellis,  of  Naples,  first  came  into  notice  in  1876,  and 
followed  up  their  initial  success  with  very  clever  reproductions 
of  Hispano-Moresque  and  early  Italian  wares,  including  the  bas- 
reliefs  of  the  Robbias.  Mr.  Ulysses  Cantagelli,  to  whose  enter- 
prise the  success  the  firm  attained  was  largely  due,  died  in 
1 901.  The  productions  to-day  run  largely  to  architectural 
pottery. 

RICHARD-GINORI. 

To  have  built  up  an  organization  as  powerful  as  that  of  the 
Richard-Ginori  house,  with  its  paid  up  capital  of  ten  million 
francs  and  its  four  thousand  employees,  speaks  volumes  for  the 
powers  of  organization  of  the  present  head  of  the  firm,  Comman- 
datore  Augusto  Richard.  His  father,  Giulio  Richard,  originally 
in  a  small  way  of  business  with  his  father  was  in  1841  admitted 
into  the  firm  of  Tinelli  Brothers,  who  succeeded  Gonrad,  Father, 
Son  &  Co.,  established  in  1830.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
Luigi  Tinelli,  one  of  the  members  of  the  Tinelli  firm,  in  con- 
sequence of  his  taking  an  active  part  in  the  freedom  of  Italy 
movement  was  condemned  to  die,  but  the  sentence  was  com- 
muted by  Francis  I  and  he  was  exiled  to  America.  He  fought 
in  the  Civil  War  and  was  made  a  general  for  distinguished 
services.  For  a  man  of  Richards  temperament  and  ability  the 
works  at  Milan,  which  only  employed  some  five  hundred  workers, 
was  far  too  small  and  in  1873  ne  effected  the  consolidation  of 
potteries,  which  culminated  in  1896,  when  the  historic  house  of 
Ginori  became  a  part  of  it.  This  consolidation  marks  an  epoch 
in  the  history  of  Italian  pottery,  for  thanks  to  Richard's  ability 
and  enterprise  both  the  body  and  decorations  were  improved  and 
modern  methods  superseded  the  old.  Present  day  productions 
include  those  beautiful  china  services  so  distinguished  in  their 
perfection  of  modeling  no  less  than  for  the  classic  designs  which 
lend  them  distinction  and  which  the  immense  size  of  the  plant 


154 


G  I  N  O  R  I 


enable  them  to  produce  in  generous  quantities  and  which  bear 
the  impress  of  the  centuries  of  experience  which  inspire  them. 
There  is  scarcely  a  prince  or  potentate  but  whose  table  is  graced 
with  one  of  these  services.  From  Doccia  come  immense  quan- 
tities of  insulators,  another  factory  is  devoted  to  tiles,  another 
to  earthenware  and  so  on,  each  a  specialist  in  their  particular  line 
and  all  under  the  management  of  the  man  who  conceived  the  or- 
ganization and  brought  it  to  a  successful  and  profitable  condition. 


MARCHESE  CARLO  GINORI. 


The  foundation  of  the  Doccia  pottery  near  Florence  by  the 
Marquis  Carlo  Ginori,  in  1735,  was  an  epoch  in  the  ceramic  his- 
tory of  Italy.  A  hundred  years  had  elapsed  since  the  triumphs  of 
Gubbio  and  Castel-Durante,  which  marked  the  culmination  of 
the  Renaissance.  The  discovery  of  hard  porcelain  by  Bottcher, 
at  Meissen,  and  its  subsequent  manufacture  at  other  places,  may 
have  inspired  Ginori  to  emulate  their  triumphs.  From  its  irir 
ception  it  was  marked  by  so  much  vigor  as  to  make  success  cer- 
tain.    A  vessel  was  dispatched  to  China  for  the  precious  kaolin, 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


155 


and  as  early  as  1737  Ginori  was  able  to  show  specimens  of  his 
manufacture.  The  first  productions  showed  the  Oriental  in- 
fluence which  at  that  time  dominated  all  European  porcelain,  but 
very  soon  the  love  of  creative  art  innate  to  the  Italian  asserted 
itself,  and  the  Doccia  Museum  furnishes  specimens  of  a  more 
original  character,  including  pierced  vases  and  finely  modeled 
groups,  the  date  of  which  is  about  1740.  By  the  end  of  the  cen- 
tury a  very  considerable  advance  had  been  made,  the  pieces, 
especially  some  lovely  bas-reliefs,  being  more  pretentious  and 
showing  that  the  potter  had  better  control  over  his  material. 

Ginori  seemed  to  take  particular  delight  in  showing  how 
easily  he  could  duplicate  the  triumphs  of  other  potters.  His 
reproductions  of  the  best  efforts  of  Sevres  and  Meissen,  including 


REPRODUCTIONS  OF  SIXTEENTH    CENTURY   WARES. 


the  pate  tendre  of  the  former,  if  they  did  not  possess  the  creative 
force  of  the  originals,  were  at  least  evidences  of  technical  skill. 
But  perhaps  his  most  noteworthy  success  in  this  direction  was 
the  reproductions  of  those  Italian  majolicas  whose  influence  had 
been  felt  the  world  over.  It  was  by  no  means  an  easy  task,  for 
artists  had  to  be  found  who  understood  something  of  the  spirit 
of  such  men  as  Maestro  Giorgio,  the  Fontanos  and  others.  Ex- 
periments with  lusters  and  glazes  had  to  be  conducted, _  but 
eventually  the  perfection  that  Ginori  demanded  was  obtained, 
and  these  replicas  of  sixteenth  century  art  have  a  value  all  their 
own.  The  bas-reliefs  of  Lucca  della  Robbia  were  so  well  ex- 
ecuted as  in  several  cases  to  be  taken  for  original  works  by  that 
artist. 


156  DENMARK. 

When  the  Capo  di  Monte  pottery,  founded  in  1736,  was 
moved  to  Buen  Retiro,  in  1759,  there  shortly  afterwards  came 
into  the  possession  of  Ginori  a  large  number  of  molds  of  this 
celebrated  pottery,  and  from  them  he  has  issued  a  number  of 
reproductions  in  a  special  paste  agreeing  very  nearly  to  that  of 
Capo  di  Monte.  We  are  thus,  fortunately,  able  to  obtain  exact 
replicas  of  the  productions  of  this  interesting  pottery. 

On  the  death  of  the  Marquis  Carlo  he  was  succeeded  by  the 
Marquis  Lorenzo  Ginori,  in  1791,  and  direct  descendants  of  this 
noble  family  for  four  generations  have  conducted  the  business, 
their  lofty  aspirations  and  steadfastness  of  purpose  having 
caused  the  name  of  Ginori  to  take  foremost  rank  among  the  pot- 
ters of  Europe. 

Young  readers  will  be  interested  to  know  that  Monte 
Christo,  the  island  made  immortal  by  Dumas,  belongs  to  the 
Ginori  family. 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 

DENMARK. 

When  the  history  of  the  Royal  Porcelain  Manufactory  of 
Copenhagen  comes  to  be  written,  it  will  be  a  record  of  persever- 
ance, of  absolute  faith  in  its  ultimate  success,  of  long,  weary 
years  of  struggling  against  adverse  circumstances  and  opposi- 
tion, such  as  is  only  paralleled  by  the  story  of  the  heroic  Palissy. 

Before  its  inception  King  Frederick  V  had  a  little  factory, 
managed  by  Delhorn,  a  native  of  Saxony,  and  later  by  Fournier, 
a  Frenchman.  Only  twenty  pieces  of  the  beautiful  soft  paste 
china  made  there  are  in  existence. 

Frantz  Heinrich  Miiller,  an  apothecary  and  also  master  of 
the  mint,  had  long  had  an  ambition  to  make  porcelain,  but  a 
chain  of  exasperating  incidents  prevented  him  making  the  at- 
tempt until  September,  1773.  The  first  firing  was  very  disas- 
trous, but  three  pieces  had  sufficient  merit  to  warrant  him  pre- 
senting them  to  the  King.  He  tried  to  raise  a  company,  but 
succeeded  only  in  selling  one  share,  and  the  project  must  have 
been  abandoned  had  not  Privy  Councillor  Holm,  secretary  to 
the  Dowager  Queen  Juliana  Marie,  came  to  his  rescue.  A  few 
shares  were  sold,  really  a  very  trifling  amount,  and  March  13, 
I775.  m  sphe  of  the  opposition  of  the  board  of  trade,  he  ob- 
tained a  monopoly  for  Denmark.  The  working  force  was  com- 
posed of  soldiers  and  apprentices,  and  the  following  year  this 
was  augmented  by  three  potters  from  Meissen,  only  one  of 
whom  showed  any  ability.  Their  arrogant  conduct  caused  so 
much  strife  that  Miiller  forcibly  drove  them  from  the  factory, 
one  of  them  being  shortly  afterwards  readmitted.  The  capital 
at  his  disposal  was  so  small  that  in  order  to  secure  the  services 


A    P  O  T  T  E  R  Y    P  R  I  M  E  R  .  157 

of  a  modeler,  Miiller  contributed  a  portion  of  his  own  salary,  and 
A.  C.  Luplan,  of  Fiirstenburg,  was  engaged.  About  this  time, 
too,  A.  C.  Bayer,  who  painted  the  Flora  Danica  service,  was 
working  there,  though  this  service  was  not  delivered  until  181 1. 
Later  the  force  was  augmented  by  Cleo,  Sehman  and  the  portrait 
painters,  Cammeth  and  Omdrup.  The  financial  part,  in  spite  of 
the  beautiful  body  compounded  by  Miiller,  was  at  a  very  low  ebb, 
and  April  21,  1779,  the  pottery  was  turned  over  to  King  Christ- 
ian VII,  who  assumed  its  debts.  Miiller  was  made  inspector, 
and  the  title  of  Councillor  of  Justice  was  bestowed  on  him. 

Some  exquisite  groups  and  figures  were  produced,  evidently 
the  work  of  a  repousse  worker  named  Kallenberg,  including 
some  dancing  figures,  "The  Flute  Player,"  "Copenhagen  Group" 
and  others.  These  are  generally  credited  to  Luplan,  but  a  letter 
of  Miiller's,  recently  come  to  light,  proves  otherwise.  A  term 
of  prosperity  ensued  which  lasted  until  the  end  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

Harassed  by  the  English  bombardment  of  the  city  in  1809 
and  by  the  economic  misery  that  followed  the  pottery  for  a  time 
led  a  pitiful  existence,  and  in  1810  was  actually  closed  down  for 
a  time  for  want  of  fuel.  Miiller  was  relieved  of  his  onerous 
duties  in  1801,  but  continued  in  an  advisory  capacity  until  181 1. 
He  died  in  1820,  at  a  time  when  his  beloved  pottery  for  which  he 
had  given  all  he  possessed  in  time,  money  and  experience,  was 
at  the  lowest  ebb,  only  two  painters  being  employed  at  the  time, 
and  the  whole  force  consisting  of  about  sixty  people. 

Prof.  Mantley  succeeded  Miiller,  and  in  1824  he  was  fol- 
lowed by  Prof.  G.  Hetsch,  who  made  a  vigorous  attempt  to  re- 
vive its  falling  fortunes.  It  was,  however,  impossible  to  adapt 
the  body  to  the  prevailing  Empire  style,  and  though  large  de- 
signs for  monumental  stands  and  vases  are  in  existence,  which 
were  probably  intended  for  the  new  Christiansberg  Castle,  they 
do  not  appear  to  have  been  carried  out.  The  pottery  was  then 
intrusted  to  the  postal  authorities,  but  continued  unremunerative. 
In  1848  the  factory  lost  its  Royal  privileges  and  in  1887  was  dis- 
posed of  to  A.  Falcke  for  $15,000.  He  obtained  permission  to 
style  it  Royal.  Holm  was  the  administrator,  and  he  succeeded  in 
making  it  show  a  fair  profit,  though  about  the  only  thing  of 
merit  produced  were  the  statuettes  after  Thorswalden.  The  fine 
body  was  obscured  by  decoration,  the  latter  being  much  inferior 
to  the  former.  In  1882  the  pottery  was  resold  to  a  limited  com- 
pany, "Aluminia,"  the  owners  of  a  large  earthenware  manufac- 
tory. 

One  of  the  earliest  successes  of  the  pottery  was  the  fluted 
porcelain,  decorated  in  blue,  the  Mussel  pattern  of  the  pottery, 
but  known  the  world  over  as  Danish  pattern.  Through  many 
years  it  was  the  mainstay  of  the  pottery. 


158 


SEVRES. 


FLORIAN,  PAGE   1 34  ;  LACHENAL,  PAGE   1 48  ; 

HERMAN   MATZ,   PAGE    1 69 |   GUSTAFSBURG,    PAGE    150; 

JERSEY  CITY  POTTERY,  PAGE  l68  J  JULIUS  DIEZ,  PAGE  1 67. 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER 


159 


When  the  Aluminia  Company  obtained  the  pottery,  Mr. 
Phillip  Schou,  Councillor  of  State,  was  appointed  director,  and 
the  pottery  was  removed  in  1884  from  the  city  to  a  site  bordering 
the  Frederiksburg  Palace  Gardens.  He  was  fortunate  enough 
to  secure  the  services  of  Mr.  Arnold  Krog  as  artistic  director  and 
Mr.  V.  Englehardt,  chemist.  Both  these  gentlemen  still  honor- 
ably occupy  their  positions,  but  Mr.  Schou  retired  in   1902,  and 


HIPPOPOTAMUS  DESIGNED  BY  PRINCESS   MARY  OF  DENMARK. 


was  replaced  by  Mr.  Frederick  Dalgas.  Mr.  Krog  is  an  artist  of 
undoubted  talent  and  originality,  Mr.  Englehardt  a  thorough 
chemist,  and  between  them  they  astonished  the  world  when  their 
display  at  Copenhagen  was  seen  in  1888.  It  was  something  new 
in  European  ceramics,  and  the  wonderful  part  was  that  so  much 
had  been  accomplished  by  such  simple  means.  Every  piece  wa- 
in itself  an  objet  d'art,  so  direct  and  so  simple  that  it  forced 

recognition.  The  beautiful 
body  of  the  ware  had  been 
preserved  instead  of  hid- 
den, and  enhance  the  charm 
of  the  few  simple  colors 
employed  by  skilled  artists 
in  its  decoration.  The  fir- 
ing had  been  carried  so 
high  that  the  colors  com- 
pletely amalgamate:  1  with 
the  glaze,  and  a  softness  of 
effect  was  produced  never 
before  approached.  This 
exhibit  placed  Copenhagen 
at  one  step  at  the  head  oi 
the  ceramic  industry,  and 
its  influence  on  modern  cer- 
danish  placque.  amies  has  been  such  as  to 


160  DANISH     POTTERIES. 

have  no  parallel  in  history.  Many  of  the  vases  and  placques 
signed  by  the  artist  are  never  reproduced.  A  great  success  was 
attained  by  the  beautifully  modeled  figures  and  animals,  which 
have  been  extensively  imitated,  but  the  dominant  note  in  them 
— the  aliveness,  to  coin  a  word,  has  been  conspicuous  by  its  ab- 
sence.    The  first  piece  made  was  a  codfish. 

When  Mr.  Schou  and  Mr.  Krog  came  into  office  it  was  with 
a  determination  to  produce  something  different  from  existing 
pottery,  but  something  that  should  at  the  same  time  be  artistically 
ceramic.  Together  they  journeyed  through  Europe,  but  with- 
out result,  until  they  happily  saw  the  Oriental  collection  of  Herr 
S.  Bing,  which  showed  them  that  the  possibilities  of  decorative 
art  had  been  realized.  Lusburg,  the  sculptor,  was  appointed 
modeler,  and  Hallem  his  assistant  and  the  work  commenced.  Of 
Mr.  Schou  it  may  be  said  that  had  it  not  been  for  his  initiative, 
industry  and  resourcefulness  the  factory  would  hardly  have 
been  in  existence  at  the  present  day.  He  alone  possessed  all  the 
qualities  necessary  to  raise  this  monument  to  Danish  art  and 
culture. 

The  Copenhagen  crystalline  glazes  were  discovered  by  Cle- 
mart,  the  chemist,  and  perfected  by  his  successor,  Herr  Engle- 
hardt,  and  these  led  the  way  to  those  of  Sevres  and  Berlin. 

The  earthenware  made  at  the  Aluminia  factory,  initiated  by 
Mr.  F.  Dalgas,  is  also  remarkable.  The  difference  between  a 
porcelain  and  an  earthenware  body  is  rightly  recognized  in  the 
style  of  the  decoration.  It  is  more  robust  in  treatment,  brighter 
in  color  and  more  inclined  to  the  conventional. 

There  was  a  faience  manufactory  at  Kiel,  founded  about 
1760  by  John  Buchwald,  and  good  work  was  produced,  notably 
that  of  a  painter  named  Leihamer. 

Madame  Ipsen,  of  Copenhagen,  produces  copies  of  Greek 
vases  and  statuettes  in  terra  cotta,  both  very  finely  and  artistically 
executed. 

Wendrich  &  Sons,  also  of  Copenhagen,  produce  goods  of  a 
similar  character. 

There  is  a  tile  factory  producing  both  floor  and  wall  tiles 
at  Hakkema. 

The  house  of  Bing  &  Grondahl,  Copenhagen,  founded  in  1853, 
has  attained  distinction  under  the  administration  of  Mr.  Willum- 
sen,  appointed  in  1897.  Some  of  the  artists  who  assisted  in  this 
are  Hollin.  Patersen  and  H.  Kofoed.  A  beautiful  pink  is  a 
characteristic  of  their  crystalline  vases  and  ^raud  feu  porcelain. 
They  also  produce  a  large  number  of  beautifully  modeled  animal 
figures,  very  soft  in  coloring. 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER.  x6i 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

GERMANY  AND  AUSTRIA. 

Next  to  England,  Germany  is  the  largest  pottery-producing 
country  in  the  world.  The  products  cover  the  whole  field  of  cera- 
mic art.  We  have  seen  that  it  is  to  Germany  we  owe  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  manufacture  of  porcelain  in  Europe ;  and  while  many 
of  the  old  factories  no  longer  exist,  the  number  of  new  ones  is 
legion.  About  45  per  cent,  of  the  German  potteries  are  in  Prus- 
sia, 10  per  cent,  each  in  Saxony,  Bavaria  and  Auhalt.  and  8  per 
cent,  in  Saxe-Weimar.  The  exports  for  1909  were  $18,750,000. 
The  industry  must  be  on  a  firm  basis,  the  shares  of  six  of  the  lead- 
ing porcelain  factories  being  quoted  at  an  average  of  90  per  cent, 
above  par,  some  of  them  paying  as  high  as  18  per  cent,  dividend. 

We  can  only  very  briefly  notice  a  few  of  the  best-known 
houses,  giving  more  especial  attention  to  those  producing  goods 
of  an  ornamental  character.  Xor  is  it  to  be  surmised  that  this 
includes  all  worthy  of  notice,  and  we  have  two  special  produc- 
tions in  mind,  for  it  often  happens  that  information  is  withheld 
by  those  able  to  give  it  for  purely  commercial  reasons. 

The  old  Furstenburg  pottery  has  been  revived  and  is  pro- 
ducing good  work. 

The  Ph.  Rosenthal  Co.,  Selb.,  produces  porcelain  of  ex- 
cellent quality,  the  shapes  being  original  in  thought,  well  modeled 
and  carefully  potted. 

The  Tirschenreuth  Porcelain  Factory  was  founded  in  1835 
and  employs  about  500  hands. 

Majolica  of  good  quality  is  made  at  Carlsruhe,  at  the  Grand 
Ducal  Majolica  Factory,  which  maintains  an  efficient  artistic  staff, 
among  whom  may  be  mentioned  Thomas,  Suss,  Janssen  and 
Binser. 

Count  von  Thuns  has  an  old  established  porcelain  works  at 
Klosterle  on  the  Elbe,  Karl  Merker,  the  director,  having  this 
year  completed  50  years  of  efficient  service. 

Ressner  &  Kehhel,  Turn,  are  the  manufacturers  of  the  popu- 
lar and  well-known   Amphora  ware. 

Springer  &  Co.,  Elbogen.  were  established  in  1815.  They 
make  a  large  variety  of  useful  and  ornamental  goods  and  emiploy 
over  1,000  workpeople,  and  theirs  is  probably  the  largest  factory 
in  Austria. 

Moritz  Fischer  in  1830  established  a  manufactory  of  porce- 
lain at  Herend  (Hungary)  whose  original  productions  equaled 
anything  made  in  Europe.  So  clever  were  his  reproductions  of 
Oriental  porcelain  that  they  were  often  mistaken  for  originals,  a 
cabarat  of  his  being  purchased  by  the  South  Kensington  Museum 
as  a  valuable  Oriental  piece.  The  present  proprietor  is  Eugene 
de  Fischer,  and  the  reputation  of  the  firm  is  worthily  upheld  by 
him. 


162 


A  U  S  T  R  I  A     AND     G  E  R  M  A  X  Y  . 


W.  Zsolnay,  Funfkirchen,  established  in  1835,  uses  the  five 
churches  as  his  trade  mark.  Mr.  Zsolnay  is  a  potter  of  great 
ability,  and  his  reflets  des  metaJliques  are  superb  in  their  brilliancy. 
Every  year  he  demonstrates  his  progressiveness,  and  his  mark 
is  accepted  as  an  indication  that  the  piece  of  which  it  is  impressed 
has  a  value  beyond  its  mere  commercial  one. 

The  old  works  at  Lembach  (Saxe  Meningen),  founded 
about  1770,  are  still  in  existence,  as  are  also  those  at  Nymphen- 
burg. 

F.  A.  Mehlem,  Bonn,  established  1755,  is  a  large  and  pro- 
gressive pottery  employing  700  to  800  workmen.  He  makes  both 
china  and  earthenware  and  some  very  fine  piece^are  produced, 
though  the  bulk  of  the  product  is  "commercial  art." 


REPRODUCTIONS    OF    DRESDEN    FIGURES- — SCHIERHOLZ. 


At  Carlsbad  there  is  a  large  quantity  of  porcelain  produced, 
the  manufacturers  principally  catering  to  the  cheaper  markets. 
At  Pirkenhammer  is  the  pottery  of  Fischer  &  Meig,  who  are  in  a 
different  class,  and  whose  work  has  a  well-deserved  reputation. 

Rudolstadt  is  the  home  of  the  New  York  and  Rudolstadt 
Pottery  Co.,  almost  entirely  devoted  to  works  of  art.  A  large 
and  efficient  staff  of  artists  is  employed,  who  find  an  exercise 
for  their  talents  in  the  decoration  of  vases,  many  of  the  figure- 
subjects  being  beautifully  executed.  Here  also  are  the  works  of 
Beyer  &  Boch  and  E.  Blome  &  Son,  who  make  tinted  figures. 
Schafer  &  Vater  are  also  located  there. 

J.  von  Schwarz,  of  Nuremburg,  is  a  manufacturer  whose  fine 
colored  glazes  are  marvels  of  the  potter's  art,  his  color  schemes 
being  both  beautiful  and  original.  Dr.  Richard  Lindhurst  is  the 
director. 

The  manufacture  of  porcelain  stoves  is  an  important  factor 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER 


163 


in  German  ceramics.     Among  others,  the  Seltzmans,  of  Oberdorf, 
produce  them. 

Ludwig  Wessell,  Popplesdorf,  has  produced  much  finely 
decorated  ornamental  porcelain,  enriched  with  gold  relief  work, 
very  carefully  executed  and  with  commendable  restraint. 

Wolfsohn,  Dresden,  for  some  time  marked  his  wares  with 
the  Meissen  Caducus  and  the  monogram  A.  R.  until  stopped  by 
litigation.     The  mark  is  now  a  D  under  a  crown. 

The  Emperor  of  Germany  is  the  proprietor  of  the  Cardinen 
pottery,  but  no  pieces  made  there  have  come  under  our  observa- 
tion. 

Scattered  all  over  the  country  are  large  numbers  of  stone- 
ware potteries. 


DRESDEN  REPRODUCTIONS STYLE  OF  I760. 


C.  G.  Schierholz  &  Son,  Plane,  Thuringia,  make  a  large  assort- 
ment of  goods,  mostly  in  the  style  of  Dresden,  the  work  all  being 
done  by  hand,  no  printing  or  transfers  being  used.  They  have 
also  successfully  reproduced  a  number  of  Dresden  groups  and 
statuettes,  adapting  some  of  these  for  electric  light  portables. 

The  vases  illustrated  are  reproductions  of  the  style  of  1760, 
which  is  distinguished  by  the  use  of  a  black  outline. 

VILLEROY  &  BOCH. 

The  reputation  attained  by  Germany  in  the  manufacture  of 
stoneware  is  worthily  maintained,  and  we  may  without  hesitation 
say  been  enhanced,  by  the  house  of  Yilleroy  &  Boch,  an  amalga- 
mation of  interests  for  the  beginning  of  which  we  must  go  back 
to  1748,  when  Pierre  Joseph  Boch  established  a  pottery  in  Hayin- 
gen  (Lorraine),  which  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  on  account  of 
an  unsuccessful  law  suit.     In  1766  a  concession  was  granted  to 


i64  V  I  L  L  E  R  O  Y     AND     B  O  C  H  . 

him  and  his  brother  by  the  Austrian  government,  and  a  pottery 
was  built  at  Septfontaines,  the  concession  carrying  with  it  the 
right  to  use  the  Austrian  arms  as  a  trade  mark,  though  the  blue 
and  white  earthenware  made  at  this  period  is  usually  marked  with 
the  intertwined  letters  B.  L.  (Boch,  Luxemburg).  Pate  tendre 
was  made  in  1790,  but  in  ornaments  and  small  figures  only.  This 
pottery  was  destroyed  in  1795  during  the  siege  of  Luxemberg 
It  was  rebuilt  immediately  after  peace  was  declared.  Boch  died 
in  1818.  In  1789  Nicolas  Villeroy,  a  native  of  Metz,  gave  up  a 
pottery  at  Frauenberg  (Alsace)  to  start  one  at  Wallerfangen,  the 
first  important  progress  being  the  adoption  of  the  English  pro- 
cess of  manufacture,  under  the  French  engineer  Aug.  Jaunez, 
appointed  in  1828.  Up  to  this  time  the  production  was  similar 
in  character  to  the  wares  of  Rouen,  etc.,  the  body  being  covered 
with  a  tin  enamel,  which  we  term  faience. 

Jean  Francis  Boch,  who  succeeded  his  father,  through  pur- 
chase came  into  possession  of  the  old  abbey  at  Mettlach  (Rhenish 
Prussia),  which  had  been  suppressed  soon  after  the  French  revo- 
lution. It  dates  from  the  second  half  of  the  sixth  century,  though 
some  of  the  existing  buildings  which  are  standing  to-day  were 
erected  much  later,  some  as  late  as  1 737-1 771.  The  turning  of  the 
abbey  into  a  pottery  contained  the  important  provision  that  only 
hard  coal  should  be  used,  no  doubt  to  promote  the  workings  of 
the  extensive  coal  lands  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  Wood  had 
hitherto  been  the  only  fuel  used  for  firing  pottery,  and  it  must 
have  necessitated  some  courage  in  his  own  resources  to  accept 
such  a  condition.  It  was  no  easy  task,  and  Boch  had  almost  as 
many  trials  and  disappointments  as  that  synonym  for  persever- 
ance, Bernard  Palissy,  but  happily  he  succeeded  and  attained  the 
distinction  of  being  the  first  potter  to  introduce  coal  as  a  fuel  for 
firing  pottery  on  the  continent  of  Europe.  It  was  soon  after- 
wards adopted  by  Villeroy,  of  Wallerfangen.  While  solving  this 
problem,  Boch  had  also  the  management  of  the  pottery  at  Sept- 
fontaines on  his  shoulders  and  found  time,  too,  to  perfect  a 
waterpower  system  for  turning  the  potters'  wheels,  doing  away 
with  the  laborious  and  distracting  use  of  his  foot  by  the  potter. 
It  was  at  Mettlach,  too,  that  the  English  system  of  printing  in 
underglaze  colors  was  first  introduced  on  the  continent  of  Europe. 
The  early  Mettlach  production  was  a  soft  calciferous  body,  but 
about  1832  the  lime  was  replaced  by  felspar,  making  a  much  more 
durable  body,  and  later  this  was  in  turn  improved. 

In  1841  the  three  factories,  Wallerfangen,  Septfontaines  and 
Mettlach,  were  consolidated,  and  soon  afterwards  the  manufacture 
of  decorative  stoneware  was  commenced  at  Mettlach,  a  manufac- 
ture for  which  they  have  since  been  regarded  as  its  best  ex- 
ponent. At  first  the  ornamentation  was  solely  in  relief,  partly  done 
on  the  mold  and  partly  by  separate  modeling.     A  later  example 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


165 


of  this  latter  is  the  jug  with  vine  decoration  made  for  Emperor 
William  I. 

But  the  reputation  of  the  firm  after  all  rests  mainly  on  the 
"Chromolith"  ware,  introduced  about  1863,  for  it  enabled  them 
to  produce  ware  of  the  highest  artistic  excellence  by  an  entirely 
new  method  and  giving  entirely  new  effects,  a  method  which  is 
distinctively  their  own  and  which  has  never  been  successfully  imi- 
tated or  its  method  of  production  discovered.  The  ornamentation 
is  inlaid  in  colored  clays,  much  in  the  style  of  cloisonne  enamel. 
The  best  artists  in  Germany  have  furnished  designs  which  skilled 
craftsmen  at  the  pottery  have  faithfully  reproduced.  While  the 
original  idea  was  in  itself  wonderful  enough,  the  cost  was  quite 


ARTISTIC  STONEWARE  JUG. 
Made    for    Emperor    William    I. 


VASE  IN  PARIAN. 
Made    in    1854    for    the    Crown    Prince. 


high,  and  therefore  the  subsequent  simplification  of  the  method 
which  made  it  a  commercial  article  within  the  reach  of  all  may 
justly  be  classed  as  the  more  important  of  what  we  may  regard 
as  two  distinct  inventions. 

In  addition  to  this  stoneware,  earthenware  services  in  a  large 
variety  of  designs  and  fancy  goods  were  also  made,  and  in  1850 
architectural  terra  cotta  was  introduced.  Parian  was  made  in 
185 1,  following  closely  its  introduction  in  England.  The  piece 
illustrated  was  made  in  1854  for  the  Crown  Prince  of  Prussia, 
later  Emperor  William  of  Germany.  The  Wadgassens  factory, 
which  makes  glassware  only,  was  founded  in  1841,  and  the  Mett- 
lach  Mosaic  Tile  Work  in  1869.  A  new  pottery  was  built  at 
Dresden,   where   dinnerware,   wall   and   hearth  tiles,  vases   with 


i66 


V  I  L  LER  0  Y     AND     BOCH 


colored  glazes  and  sanitary  goods  are  made.  At  Merzig,  founded 
1879,  are  made  the  terra  cotta  architectural  ornaments  and  life- 
size  figure  subjects,  mostly  of  religious  subjects.  At  Schramberg, 
founded  1833,  white  earthenware  and  ornamental  objects  in 
majolica  are  produced,  and  finally,  in  1907,  the  pottery  at  Danesch- 
burg  was  acquired.  These  potteries  have  all  been  successful  and 
are  a  lasting  tribute  to  the  resourcefulness  of  the  men  who  have 
conducted  them  and  who  have  very  largely  stood  in  a  parental  at- 


AMPHORA  IN  TERRA  COTTA. 

Made  for  Empress  Augusta. 


CHROMOLITH  VASE. 

One  of  the  First  Mettlach  Inlaid   Stone 
Productions. 


titude  towards  the  10,000  workpeople  employed.  Jean  Frangois 
Boch  died  in  1858,  but  since  1852  his  oldest  son,  Eugene,  has  been 
in  charge.  For  his  services  to  German  ceramic  art,  in  1892,  Em- 
peror William  II  bestowed  on  him  the  inheritable  state  of  nobility,, 
receiving  the  title  of  Privy  Councillor.  His  son,  Rene,  was  direc- 
tor-general of  the  combined  potteries  until  his  death  in  1908,  when 
his  son,  Dr.  Roger  von  Boch,  succeeded  him,  Lentwere  von  Boch 
acting  in  his  place  when  he  is  absent.  Edmund,  brother  of  Rene, 
was  director  of  the  Mettlach  works  from  1867  to  1908. 


A    P  O  T  T  E  R  Y    P  R  I  M.E  R  .  167 

The  care  of  the  workpeople  seems  to  be  as  important  in  the 
eyes  of  the  management  as  its  commercial  or  artistic  success,  and 
for  their  use  hospitals  have  been  endowed,  schools  and  nurseries 
maintained,  gymnasiums  and  swimming  baths  provided.  The 
widows  and  orphans  are  provided  for,  and  there  is  a  pension  fund 
for  those  whose  years  of  service  entitle  them  to  reward.  There 
are  sleeping  rooms  and  a  restaurant,  where  for  14  cents  a  day 
board  and  lodging  can  be  obtained.  The  firm  will  also  build 
houses  for  their  employees  on  the  easiest  possible  terms.  The  re- 
sult of  this  interest  in  their  employees  is  that  such  a  thing  as  a 
strike  is  unknown,  that  the  majority  grow  old  in  their  service, 
there  is  respect  and  affection  on  both  sides  and  everyone  gives  his 
best  to  enhance  the  success  of  the  whole. 

There  has  been  a  notable  advance  in  German  ceramics  dur- 
ing the  last  few  years.  A  better  understanding  of  the  laws  of 
decoration  is  apparent  and  the  coloring  is  more  subdued  and  har- 
monious. Professor  Lauger  introduced  a  pre-Raphaelite  style, 
its  simplicity  and  directness  immediately  commanding  attention. 
One  of  the  best  uses  to  which  this  was  put  was  its  application  to 
stoves. 

Julius  Diez,  of  Villengen,  in  the  Black  Forest,  has  only  re- 
cently devoted  himself  to  ceramics,  but  the  distinctly  decorative 
character  of  his  production,  in  which  fantasy  and  humor  are  com- 
bined, make  them  objects  of  delight.  It  has  truly  been  said  of 
him  that  ''Diez  is  a  German  primitive  in  his  art,  and  his  essen- 
tially German  interpretation  of  the  world  around  him  is  mani- 
fest from  these  most  recent  products  of  his  talents,  for  we  see  in 
these  ceramic  designs  at  once  the  individual  and  the  nation  to 
which  he  belongs."     (See  illustration  page  158.) 

Hermann  Mutz  and  his  son  Richard,  at  Altoona,  a  suburb 
of  Hamburg,  are  producing  glazes  of  the  greatest  brilliancy,  sur- 
passing anything  of  the  kind  heretofore  made  in  Germany.  Most- 
ly for  utilitarian  purposes,  they  show  great  ingenuity  of  form. 
(See  illustration  page  158.) 

At  one  time  associated  with  Professor  Lauger  was  a  chem- 
ist of  Munich,  Max  von  Heider,  but  the  latter,  incurring  the  dis- 
pleasure of  Professor  Lauger,  was  banished  from  his  workshop. 
Von  Heider  then  associated  himself  with  his  three  sons,  Hans, 
Fritz  and  Rudolph,  three  well-known  sculptors  and  painters.  They 
produced  some  remarkable  pottery,  though  the  shapes  are  some- 
what forced  and  altogether  lack  the  simplicity  that  characterizes 
Lauger's  work.  Art  Noveau  decorations  are  freely  used,  but  here 
again  the  pieces  lose  their  value  by  the  eccentricity  of  the  handles. 


i68 


UNITED     STATES 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

UNITED   STATES. 

Various  scattered  and  isolated  attempts  were  made  in  Amer  • 
ica  to  establish  the  potters'  art,  but  were  for  the  most  part  ephe- 
meial  and  had  no  influence  on  the  art  of  to-day.  A  Staffordshire 
potter  named  Bartlem  made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  in  South 
Carolina  about  1765,  and  in  1771  it  was  reported  in  England  that 
in  Philadelphia  "better  cups  and  saucers  are  made  than  at  Bow 
or  Stratford.''  Several  attempts  were  made  in  Connecticut", 
Charles  Lathrop,  Norwich,  1796;  Isaac  Hanford,  Hartford,  and 
Adam  States,  Stonington,  and  also  at  Morgantown,  W.  Va. 

About  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  John  Crolius, 
who  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Clarkson,  and  John  Remmey,  were 
both  making  salt-glaze  stoneware  at  Potters'  Hill,  where  the  New 
York  Hall  of  Records  now  stands.  Potters'  Hill  was  leveled 
about  1812,  when  the  Collect  Pond  was  filled  up.  Remmey's  de- 
scendants were  making  salt-glaze  stoneware  in  Baltimore  in 
1823-4,  and  afterwards  moved  to  Philadelphia,  where  the  busi- 
ness is  now  carried  on.  Perrine  &  Co.  were  also  making  stone- 
ware in  Baltimore  about  the  same  time. 

In  1800  the  clay  at  South 
Amboy  was  being  used  by  Van 
Weckle,  and  a  little  later  by 
Price,  of  Sayerville. 

In  1825  a  number  of 
Frenchmen  commenced  the  man- 
ufacture of  artificial  china  at 
Jersey  City,  but  it  was  not  a  suc- 
cess, and  production  ceased  after 
a  year  or  two.  In  1829  the 
works  were  reopened  by  David 
&  J.  Henderson,  and  in  1833  a 
company  known  as  the  Ameri- 
can Pottery  Co.  was  formed. 

The  printing  process  was 
used  here  for  the  first  time  in 
America.  Daniel  Greatbach,  a 
good  modeler,  worked  here  and 
produced  a  jug  with  hunting 
subjects  in  relief]  with  a  hound  handle.  The  same  motif  had  been 
used  years  beforesin  England,  but  it  proved  very  popular  and  has 
been  reproduced  or  imitated  several  times.  Another  change  took 
place  in  1845,  and  the  firm  became  Rhodes,  Strong  &  McGerron. 
In  1855  they  sold  out  to  Rouse,  Turner,  Duncan  &  Henry,  and 
a  little  later  Rouse  &  Turner  carried  it  on  alone.  The  works  were 
demolished  in  1892.  Earthenware  and  Parian  were  made,  and 
some  of  the  shapes  are  exceedingly  good.     (Illustration  page  158.) 


THE      HOUND      JUG. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


169 


Some  time  between  1816  and  1827,  W.  T.  Tucker  was  mak- 
ing porcelain  in  Philadelphia,  being  awarded  a  medal  by  the 
Franklin  Institute  in  the  latter  year.  Judge  Hemphill  acquired 
an  interest  in  the  business,  and  on  the  death  of  W.  E.  Tucker 
continued  it  in  conjunction  with  Thomas  Tucker,  afterwards  sell- 
ing out  to  the  latter.  The  works  were  closed  in  1838.  The  prod- 
uct was  principally  table  services,  the  body  and  glaze  of  fair  qual- 
ity, but  the  decorations  were  in  no  way  remarkable.  Foreign 
competition  proved  too  much  for  the  infant  industry,  and  it  con- 
sequently died  of  public  neglect. 

In  1830,  Smith  Fife  &  Co.  exhibited  some  porcelain  at  the 
Franklin  Institute,  Philadelphia,  but  nothing  is  known  of  them 
and  it  is  possible  they  were  decorators  only.  One  of  the  speci- 
mens marked  as  manufactured  by  them  is  a  plate.  This  presup- 
poses a  considerable  mechanical  equipment,  but  there  is  no  such 
firm  mentioned  in  the  Philadelphia  directories  of  that  year. 


>    ' 


>n 


'&  *  it-  r 


m 


BENNETT  ALBION   WARE. 


Kurlbaum  &   Schwartz,   Philadelphia,  made  china  of  good 
quality  from  185 1  to  1855.     The  works  were  on  Front  street. 
In  1834  James  Bennett  built  a  small  pottery  at  East  Liver- 


[7o  UNITED     STA  T  Li  S  . 

pool,  O.,  making  common  wares,  in  no  way  remarkable,  but  which 
had  a  decided  interest,  for  it  marked  the  foundation  of  a  pottery 
center  which  has  assumed  such  proportions  that  it  is  to-day  the 
principal  seat  of  the  industry  in  America.  In  1837  Bennett  was 
associated  with  James  Clews  in  the  disastrous  enterprise  at  Troy, 
Ind.  He  died  in  1862.  His  brother,  Edwin,  built  a  pottery  at 
Baltimore  about  1844,  which  has  since  assumed  importance. 
Parian  was  made  from  1884  to  1887.  in  addition  to  majolica, 
Rockingham,  etc.  In  1890  the  business  was  incorporated,  and 
under  the  management  of  Mr.  Henry  Brunt,  a  decidedly  progres- 
sive step  was  made.  Apart  from  the  regular  commercial  pro- 
duction of  dinner  and  toilet  ware,  their  most  notable  successes 
were  a  beautiful  combination  of  colors  in  a  glaze  called  Brubensul 
and  the  slip-patented  Albion  ware.  (See  page  169.)  Theirs 
was  the  first  house  in  America  to  successfully  compete  with  for- 
eign makers  in  the  production  of  steins.  At  Baltimore,  also,  is 
the  pottery  of  D.  F.  Haynes  &  Son,  started  in  1881.  It  is  known 
as  the  Chesapeake  Pottery,  and  Edwin  Bennett  was  at  one  time 
interested  in  it.  The  productions,  principally  utilitarian  ware, 
were  marked  by  originality.  A  very  large  business  was  done  in 
clock  cases,  and  for  some  years  these  had  a  tremendous  vogue. 
Ground  laying  with  an  air  brush  was  used  here  for  the  first  time 
in  America. 

In  Bucks  and  Montgomery  counties,  Pennsylvania,  a  slip- 
decorated  ware  was  made  by  Germans  from  the  last  half  of  the 
eighteenth  to  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century.  While  very 
rude  in  design  and  execution,  it  is  interesting  as  showing  the  ex- 
pression of  an  art  feeling  among  an  uncultured  people. 

Some  time  prior  to  1825,  a  pottery  was  started  at  Mill  Creek, 
between  Southall  and  Greenport,  L.  I.,  by  Austin  Hempstead.  The 
products  were  principally  pie  dishes  and  other  articles  of  utility 
in  brown  earthenware  decorated  with  white  slip,  often  the  name 
of  the  owner.  The  large  conical  molds  for  making  loaf  sugar 
were  also  made  here.  The  pottery  is  only  interesting  as  an  illus- 
tration of  the  resourcefulness  of  the  early  settler,  and  it  was  built 
to  help  furnish  a  cargo  for  the  brig  ''Stirling,"  built  to  ply  be- 
tween Greenport  and  the  West  Indies,  for  the  colonists  had  little 
to  offer  in  the  way  of  exchange  for  molasses,  rum,  etc.,  except 
barrel  staves.  The  pottery  was  closed  in  1868.  Austin  Hemp- 
stead founded  the  town  of  Hempstead  in  Nassau  County. 

In  1846,  white,  yellow  and  Rockingham  ware  were  made  at 
Bennington,  Vt.  In  the  second  phase  of  the  pottery,  Lyman  & 
Fenton  were  the  proprietors,  and  in  1849  it  became  the  United 
States  Pottery.  Parian  groups  and  figures  were  made,  some  of 
them  rather  quaint ;  others  without  much  merit,  either  as  to 
modeling  or  conception,  and  the  pottery  only  existed  until  1858. 
Daniel  Greatbach  worked  there  and  reproduced  his  hound-handle 
pitcher,  varying  the  top  somewhat. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


171 


In  1848  Charles  Cartlidge  was  making  china  door  furniture 
and  buttons  by  the  Prosser  process  at  Greenpoint,  L.  I.,  and  a 
little  later  table  ware,  at  first  in  bone  china  and  later  in  hard 
porcelain.  Frank  Lockett  and  Elijah  Tatler  were  employed  as 
painters,  the  latter  afterwards  founding  the  Tattler  Decorating 
Co.,  of  Trenton,  N.  J.  Josiah  Jones,  the  modeler,  was  a  capable 
man,  and  his  works  are  produced  both  in  Parian  and  Jasper 
ware.  He  executed  a  number  of  busts  and  bas  relief  of  American 
prominent  men.  In  1855  the  firm  was  dissolved  and  reorganized 
as  the  American  Porcelain  Manufacturing  Co.,  with  Mr.  Cart- 
lidge as  president,  but  no  success  was  attained  and, the  works  were 
closed  in  1856.  There  was  probably  more  promise  here  than  had 
up  to  that  time  developed  in  any  other  American  pottery  venture, 
but  the  productions  were  probably  in  advance  of  the  times. 


BENNINGTON  POTTERY. 


In  1854  the  Union  Porcelain  Works  was  started  at  Green- 
point  by  a  number  of  German  workmen,  but  owes  its  success  to 
Thos.  C.  Smith,  who  joined  them  in  1867.  Bone  china  was  made 
until  1863',  which  was  replaced  by  a  purely  Kaolinic  body  in 
1865.  Karl  Muller  modeled  some  ambitious  pieces,  among  which 
may  be  mentioned  the  "Century"  and  "Keramos"  vases.  A  very 
good  china  body  is  produced,  and  the  firm  has  the  distinction  of 
being  the  only  one  in  America  to  make  a  true  porcelain. 

The  year  1852  marks  the  initiation  of  pottery  making  in 
Trenton,  N.  J.  Taylor  &  Speeler,  who  made  Rockingham  and 
yellow  ware,  being  the  pioneers.  In  1855  tney  produced  the  first 
white  granite  made  in  America.  Astbury  &  Millington  in  1853 
were  the  first  to  make  sanitary  ware.  The  same  year  the  firm  of 
W.  Young  &  Sons,  afterward  Willett,  was  founded,  and  others 


172  UNITED     STATES. 

followed  in  the  order  named:  1859,  Rhodes  &  -Yates;  1863, 
Etruria  Pottery ;  1863,  Coxon  &  Co.,  John  Moses  and  the  Green- 
wood Pottery  Co.;  1869,  Mercer  Pottery;  1879,  Willetts ;  1879, 
Burroughs  &  Montford  and  the  International  Pottery ;  1893, 
Maddock  Pottery  Co.  and  the  Ceramic  Art  Co.,  now  Lenox,  Ltd.. 
in  1889. 

The  Greenwood  Pottery  Co.,  after  many  weary  months  of 
disappointment,  succeeded  in  making-  a  vitrified  earthenware  for 
hotel  use  and  which  may  be  claimed  as  a  distinctly  American  in- 
vention. It  combines  the  best  qualities  of  both  porcelain  and 
earthenware  with  a  minimum  of  their  objectionable  qualities.  In 
spite  of  the  apathy  of  the  trade,  James  Tarns,  who  was  the  lead- 
ing spirit  of  the  firm,  succeeded  in  introducing  it,  and  its  merits 
once  known  a  constantly  increasing  demand  has  existed,  so  that 
two  other  potteries  had  to  be  added  to  keep  pace  with  it.  Some 
experiments  were  made  with  art  goods,  but  the  body  was  not 
suitable  and  the  effort  was  abandoned. 

The  Etruria  Pottery  (Ott  &  Brewer)  in  1875  secured  the 
services  of  Isaac  Broome,  whose  busts  and  figures  in  Parian 
are  highly  esteemed.  A  little  later,  William  Bromley,  who  had 
been  identified  with  the  manufacture  of  Belleek,  both  at  Stoke 
and  in  Ireland,  was  engaged,  and  the  manufacture  of  Belleek  was 
commenced  and  carried  to  a  satisfactory  conclusion,  the  product 
equaling  the  original.  The  process  is  very  simple,  the  ware  re- 
ceiving simply  a  wash  of  luster  and  fired  in  the  enamel  kiln  at  a 
low  heat.  These  lusters  were  invented  by  J.  H.  Brainchou,  and 
were  sold  by  him  to  the  Belleek  Pottery  and  anyone  else  who 
wished  to  use  them.  To-day  they  can  be  bought  from  any  dealer 
in  ceramic  supplies.  Ott  &  Brewer  unfortunately  were  not  able 
to  weather  the  financial  crisis  of  1892-3,  and  the  works  were 
closed. 

Burroughs  &  Montford  produced  some  fine  pieces  reminis- 
cent of  Doulton,  as  did  the  Maddock  Pottery  Co.  In  the  case  of 
Burroughs  &  Montford  the  ware  was  not  equal  to  the  decora- 
tion, and  the  losses  that  ensued  caused  the  dissolution  of  the  firm. 

After  the  passing  of  the  Wilson  tariff  bill  a  very  general 
improvement  was  noticeable  in  the  Trenton  productions  generally. 
The  body  and  glaze  were  brought  into  closer  affinity,  to  the  bene- 
fit alike  of  manufacturer  and  purchaser. 

The  Ceramic  Art  Co.,  Trenton,  N.  J.,  was  established  in 
1889.  Walter  S.  Lenox  has  always  been  the  dominant  factor  in 
the  firm,  and  in  1896  the  business  virtually  passed  into  his  hands. 
Belleek  ware  was  successfully  produced,  a  fine  bone  china  body 
being  used.  Many  skilled  artists  were  employed  in  the  painting 
of  vases  with  figures  and  other  subjects  in  the  then  prevailing 
style,  but  the  company,  which  is  now  known  as  Lenox,  Inc.,  has 
practically  abandoned  this  branch  of  the  business  and  now  devotei 
its  energy  to  services  for  the  table. 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER.  173 

James  Ca. ,  had  a  pottery  in  South  Amboy  from  1852  to 
1854,  when  it  was  burned  down.  Druggists'  jars^and  boxes  were 
the  principal  production.  In  1855  he  opened  a  pottery  in  West 
Thirteenth  street,  New  York,  making  Rockingham  and  yellow 
ware  until  1858,  when  white  granite  was  added.  Some  experi- 
ments were  made  in  bone  china,  but  it  proved  too  expensive  to 
manufacture  advantageously.  Majolica  and  Parian  were  also 
produced — not  of  a  very  high  order  of  merit  if  judged  from  the 
standards  of  to-day,  but  creditable  efforts  for  the  time. 

The  New  England  Pottery  Co.,  of  Boston,  was  founded  in 
1854,  but  did  not  achieve  any  distinction  until  1886,  when  L.  W. 
&  Thomas  Gray  secured  the  services  of  Thomas  Copeland,  a 
modeler  and  decorator  who  produced  some  excellent  shapes  in 
small  pieces.  The  designs  proved  popular,  especially  when  treated 
in  a  deep,  rich  blue  finished  in  gold.  When  Mr.  Copeland  left 
the  company  in  1895  the  manufacture  of  these  artistic  pieces  was 
abandoned  and  cream  color  ware  is  now  the  staple  product. 

At  Wheeling,  W.  Va.,  the  Wheeling  Potteries  Co.  was  in- 
corporated in  1879,  and  under  the  management  of  C.  W.  Franz  - 
heim  had  for  many  years  a  prosperous  existence,  their  services 
in  cobalt  blue  and  gold  being  very  attractive.  It  was  the  first  firm 
who  had  the  courage  to  exploit  their  wares  as  "made  in  Amer- 
ica," but  it  proved  somewhat  of  a  boomerang,  as  manufacturing 
difficulties  were  encountered  which  so  damaged  their  reputation 
that  the  works  were  closed  in  1908.  Allied  to  them  was  the  Vance 
Faience  Co.,  who  after  costly  experiments  in  a  number  of  direc- 
tions, eventually  made  a  really  attractive  line  of  slip-decorated 
ware  in  conventional  designs,  but  owing  to  the  poor  potting  it  had 
to  be  abandoned.  The  pottery  is  now  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  bathtubs. 

The  Warwick  China  Co.,  of  Wheeling,  was  organized  in 
1887,  and  it  made  a  notable  success  under  the  management  of 
Thomas  Carr,  son  of  the  James  Carr  before  mentioned,  from  1893 
to  1909,  when  he  retired.  The  body  is  one  of  the  best  made  in 
America,  and  a  great  commercial  success  has  been  made  with 
their  line  of  novelties,  viz.,  those  pieces  which  while  possessing 
utilitarian  qualities  are  not  included  in  the  composition  of  dinner 
services.  Charles  E.  Jackson  succeeds  Mr.  Carr  in  the  manage- 
ment. 

Following  the  effort  of  James  Bennett,  the  Harker  Pottery 
Co.  was  founded  in  East  Liverpool  in  1840;  the  Goodwin  Pottery 
Co.  in  1844;  Knowles,  Taylor  &  Knowles,  1853;  Vodrey,  1857; 
C.  C.  Thompson,  1868,  and  all  are  now  in  existence.  Up  to  1872 
Rockingham  and  yellow  ware  were  the  only  wares  made,  but  in 
that  year  Knowles,  Taylor  &  Knowles  commenced  to  make  white 
ware.  This  firm  in  a  few  years  grew  from  a  one-kiln  plant  to 
such  proportions  as  to  necessitate  the  employment  of  upwards 


174  U  N  J  T  E  D     S  T  A  T  E  S  . 

of  1,000  hands.  When  Joshua  Poole  became  the  practical  potter 
he  introduced  a  fine  china  body  called  Lotus  ware,  but,  excellent 
as  it  was,  it  was  not  found  possible  to  market  it  advantageously 
and  it  was  consequently  abandoned. 

The  firm  of  Laughlin  Bros,  was  established  in  1874  at  East 
Liverpool,  and  for  several  years  a  thin  translucent  china  was  pro- 
duced, but  was  abandoned  in  1889,  and  an  earthenware  body  of 
fine  quality  was  substituted.  The  firm,  from  their  good  shapes 
and  careful  workmanship  soon  assumed  importance.  The  firm 
was  incorporated  in  1897  as  the  Homer  Laughlin  China  Co.,  build- 
ing an  additional  plant  at  Newell,  W.  Va.,  and  have  the  largest 
plant  in  the  United  States. 

There  are  many  other  potteries  in  addition  to  those  already 
enumerated,  but  on  account  of  the  similarity  of  the  goods  pro- 
duced they  do  not  call  for  special  mention.  The  difficulties  our 
potters  experienced  in  the  early  years  are  gradually  disappear- 
ing, the  body  and  glaze  now  being  excellent,  but  there  is  room 
for  a  greater  initiative  in  the  decoration.  About  the  only  firms 
who  employ  the  process  of  printing  from  copper  plates,  on  which 
the  foundation  of  the  prestige  of  English  earthenware  principally 
rests,  are  Mayer  Bros.,  of  Beaver  Falls,  and  the  Buffalo  Pottery 
Co.,  the  remainder  of  the  American  manufacturers  relying  for 
their  designs  on  chromo  lithographs,  and  it  is  not  unusual  for  the 
same  pattern  to  be  sold  to  more  than  one  manufacturer. 

In  a  class  by  themselves  are  the  Onondaga  and  Iroquois  pot- 
teries of  Syracuse,  the  former  founded  in  1871.  Under  the  able 
management  of  James  Carr,  the  Onondaga  is  firmly  established, 
its  hotel  china  being  known  from  Maine  to  California.  In  1891 
some  ornamental  pieces  were  made,  which  were  designated  as 
"Imperial  Geddo,"  but  its  manufacture  had  to  be  abandoned  on 
account  of  the  increased  demand  for  its  table  ware. 

The  Wannopee  Pottery,  New  Milford,  Conn.,  founded  in 
1890  (having  been  known  from  1887  as  the  New  Milford  Pot- 
tery Co.)  commenced  making  colored  glaze  pottery  and  green 
lettuce  ware,  but  had  only  a  short  existence,  which  is  to  be  re- 
gretted as  their  shapes  were  good  and  their  glazes  most  attractive. 

The  Buffalo  Pottery  Co.  make  a  specialty  of  underglaze  dec- 
oration and  some  finely  engraved  designs  of  Old  English  subjects 
under  the  name  of  Deldare  have  proved  very  successful.  Prac- 
tically in  all  its  details  of  workmanship  and  the  use  of  materials 
this  pottery  is  conducted  on  English  models. 

The  Pope-Gosser  China  Co.  made  a  radical  and  successful 
departure  in  their  shapes,  adopting  those  of  the  silversmith  with 
such  modifications  as  the  material  demanded. 


A     J'  0  T  T  E  R  Y    P  R  1  .1/  /•;  R 


1 75 


ROOKWOOD. 

In  all  countries  of  the  world  the  potters'  art  has  been  fos- 
tered and  encouraged  by  ruling  potentates.  From  the  very  be- 
ginning the  Chinese  emperors  poured  forth  their  treasures  to  as- 
sist it.  The  Prince  of  Satsuma  rendered  possible  the  celebrated 
Corean  pottery.  The  Medicis  and  other  noble  Italian  families 
were  intimately  identified  with  the  renaissance  of  the  potters'  art 
in  Italy;  Augustus  II.  financed  the  experiments  of  Bottcher,  who 
gave  Europe  its  first  porcelain;  the  French  emperors  made  pos- 
sible the  glories  of  Sevres,  and  George  I.  depleted  Saxony  to  as- 
sist Chelsea.     In  America  the  patronage  of  those  best  able  to 

bestow  it  is  conspicuous  by  its  absence, 
and  "Made  in  America''  seemed  a  re- 
proach rather  than  a  recommendation. 
The  production  of  pottery  was  as  a  re- 
sult of  mediocre  character.  There  was 
a  tremendous  breach  into  which  no  one 
dared  to  step.  Such  conditions  have 
existed  before,  and  it  is  interesting  to 
note  from  what  sources  help  has  come. 
From  the  potter  himself?  Palissy  was 
a  glass  painter ;  Helene  de  Hengest.  a 
lady  of  quality  and  her  principal  assist- 
ant, a  librarian  ;  Lucca  della  Robbia  was 
a  sculptor  ;  Bottcher,  an  apothecary  ;  Dr. 
Wall,  a  chemist ;  Haviland.  an  import- 
er; Deck  and  his  confreres,  all  artists, 
and  William  de  Morgan,  a  painter.  It 
was  a  woman  who  in  America  dared  to 
leap  into  the  breach  and  give  us  an  art. 
Mrs.  Bellamy  Storer  commenced  her 
experiments  in  1876,  and  finally  in  a 
pottery  of  her  own  in  1880,  on  Eastern 
The  dominant  idea  was  to  produce  some- 
thing that  should  owe  nothing  to  foreign  influence ;  should  be 
made  of  native  materials  and  without  mechanical  aid.  The  artists 
were  recruited  from  the  School  of  Design ;  the  shapes,  except  in 
very  exceptional  instances,  thrown  and  turned.  After  countless 
disappointments  the  ware  now  known  as  "Standard  Rookwood" 
was  evolved.  Taking  the  piece  to  be  decorated  in  its  clay  state. 
just  hard  enough  to  handle  without  injury,  the  artist  painted  on 
it  in  various  colored  clays  whatever  his  or  her  artistic  instinct 
suggested.  This  was  then  fired,  covered  with  a  rich  glaze  and 
fired  again.  The  idea  was  by  no  means  new,  for  the  Romans  used 
the  same  process,  and  the  old  English  potter  revived  it.  But  the 
Rookwood  ware  demonstrated    how    little    those    who    formerly 


TILE  PANEL. 


avenue,   Cincinnati. 


176 


ROOKWOOD 


used  the  process  knew  of  its  possibilities.  It  was  a  revelation ; 
something  entirely  new,  for  its  prototype  need  not  be  considered. 
The  harmony  of  color,  the  restraint  in  decoration  and  the  lusci- 
ous softness  of  the  glaze  gave  to  the  painting  the  appearance  pre- 
sented by  a  pebble  under  limpid  water.  So  charmed  was  the  eye 
that  another  sense  was  involuntarily  called  into  play :  you  feel 
compelled  to  touch  it.  Gladstone  must  have  had  some  such  feel- 
ing when  he  expressed  the  beautiful  simile,  "soft  as  the  touch  of 
a  baby's  hand." 

In  1883  Mrs.  Storer  was  fortunate  enough  to  associate  her- 
self with  W.  W.  Taylor,  whose  knowledge  and  courage  sup- 
ported her  in  many  moments  of  disappointment,  and  who  has  con- 
tinued to  be  the  guiding  spirit  of  Rookwood  to  the  present  time. 


ROOK  WOOD    VELLUM. 


Joseph  Bailey,  who  evolved  many  of  the  colors  used,  also  ren- 
dered invaluable  aid,  and  his  death  in  189S  was  a  severe  loss.  It 
was  in  this  year  that  for  the  first  time  the  pottery  became  self 
supporting,  and  after  nine  years  of  strenuous  fighting,  having  ac- 
complished the  work  she  had  set  out  to  do,  having  demonstrated 
the  possibilities  of  American  art  pottery,  Mrs.  Storer  withdrew 
her  aid  and  the  business  was  transferred  to  a  company  under  the 
control  of  Mr.  Taylor.  In  1892  a  new  factory  was  built  on  the 
bluff  of  Mount  Adams,  overlooking  all  lower  Cincinnati. 

While  a  great  success  had  been  attained — a  success  in  which 
critics  all  over  the  world  joined — Rookwood  was  not  content  to 
rest  on  its  laurels.  The  native  clay  had  inclined  its  color  to  reds 
and  browns,  so  a  new  style  was  evolved  and  a  much  lighter  color 
effect  was  obtained.     Among  these  later  developments,  the  Iris 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER 


177 


proved  the  most  successful,  the  cool  and  delicate  covering  under 
a  colorless,  transparent  glaze  giving  it  a  distinction  all  its  own. 
This  was  later  followed  by  Vellum  ware,  a  great  departure  from 
any  known  type.  Its  name  gives  an  idea  of  its  texture  and  color 
but  fails  to  convey  anything  beyond  that.  It  is  a  transparent  mat 
glaze,  soft  and  close  in  texture,  and  greatly  enhances  the  work  of 
the  artist,  the  effect  being  somewhat  similar  to  the  Iris,  though 
much  more  tender.  It  is  undoubtedly  a  great  ceramic  achieve- 
ment, and  when  first  exhibited  at  St.  Louis  in  1904  was  pro- 
nounced by  competent  judges  to  be  the  only  novelty  in  ceramics 
in  the  exhibition.  Mat  glazes  of  the  known  type  had  been  made 
at  Rookwood  since  1896,  but  a  mat  glaze  that  should  glorify  the 
work  of  the  artist  instead  of  obliterating  it  was  an  unknown  quan- 
tity, and  it  took  much 
patient  investigating 
and  experimenting  be- 
fore it  was  brought  to 
its  present    perfection. 

A  most  important 
work  has  for  the  last 
few  years  been  carried 
on  at  Rookwood  in  the 
manufacture  of  tiles 
for  all  architectural 
purposes,  and  they 
have  to-day  perhaps 
the  most  extensive 
palette  of  mat  glaze 
colors  in  the  world 
Wherever  it  is  practi- 
cal to  use  a  plastic  ma- 
terial, either  for  inte- 
rior or  exterior  decora- 
tion, the  Rookwood 
artists  seem  to  have 
anticipated  the  want,  the  variety  of  designs  being  extremely  large. 
Modeled  panels,  finished  in  several  soft  mat  glaze  colors,  are  ef- 
fectively used  in  combination  with  plain  tiles  of  harmonizing 
shades,  and  the  effect  is  very  soft  and  subdued — a  distinct  re- 
proach to  the  tiles  with  bright  glazes  formerly  used.  Nor  is  this 
work  by  any  means  confined  to  flat  surfaces,  for  moldings  of  all 
shapes  and  sizes,  curbings  and  shelves  are  produced,  so  that  all 
the  details  of  fireplace  and  mantel  can  be  constructed  in  one  har- 
monious whole.  The  unsightly  radiator  has  even  been  provided 
for,  which  when  covered  with  a  grille  of  pierced  tiles  becomes  a 
thing  of  beauty.  Many  fine  hotels  and  public  buildings  have 
rooms  entirely  decorated  with  Rookwood  productions,  and  these 


A    MANTEL,    BY    ROOKWOOD. 


i;8  .1/  ./  T     G  L  A  Z  E     /'  0  T  T  E  R   V  . 

will  doubtless  prove  the  most  lasting  monuments  to  the  artistic 
genius  of  their  creators.  The  illustrations  will  give  a  little  idea 
of  the  value  of  these  mural  decorations,  but  the  quality  of  the 
glazes  must  be  seen,  for  black  and  white  gives  no  idea  of  that 
intangible  quality,  that  spark  of  life,  which  are  their  dominant 
qualities. 

The  "unseen  forces"  who  shape  Rookwood's  destiny  and 
uphold  its  prestige  are  too  important  to  be  overlooked.  W.  W, 
Taylor's  fine  artistic  sense  has  happily  been  combined  with  busi- 
ness acumen,  a  combination  of  qualities  rarely  found,  and  much 
of  the  artistic  and  commercial  success  of  Rookwood  is  due  to  him. 
To  conceive  is  one  thing,  to  execute  quite  another,  so  that  Mr. 
Taylor  and  the  world  at  large  may  be  congratulated  on  the  asso- 
ciation with  him  of  Stanley  G.  Burt,  a  thorough  ceramist,  the 
maker  of  those  beautiful  glazes  which  have  in  no  small  measure 
contributed  to  Rookwood's  success. 

The  Rookwood  impressed  mark,  R.  P.,  used  since  1886,  had 
a  flame  added  to  it  in  1887,  and  an  additional  one  for  every  year 
until  1900.  Commencing  with  1901,  the  year  is  added  in  Roman 
numerals. 

The  success  of  Rookwood  naturally  evoked  a  number  of  imi- 
tators, W.  A.  Long,  of  Steubenville,  being  first  in  the  field  with 
what  was  called  Lonhuda  ware.  The  business  was  sold  to  S.  A. 
Weller  in  1896,  Mr.  Long  continuing  in  Mr.  Weller's  employ  at 
his  Zanesville  pottery.  The  ware  was  rechristened  Louweisa.  and 
under  Mr.  Weller's  able  management  large  quantities  of  it  were 
made.  Mr.  Weller,  with  the  assistance  of  two  Frenchmen,  suc- 
cessfully produced  reflets  mitalliques,  and  some  superb  specimens 
were  made,  but,  never  learning  the  secret  of  its  production,  it 
was  perforce  discontinued  when  the  French  workmen  left  his  em- 
ployment. The  Roseville  Pottery  Co.,  Zanesville,  also  produced 
large  quantities  of  slip-painted  ware  in  the  style  of  Rookwood, 
and  some  exquisite  color  effects  in  the  elusive  sang  dc  boeuf.  This 
firm  has  shown  considerable  initiative  in  the  production  of  pot- 
tery, some  carved  pieces  with  Greek  designs  being  good  both  in 
spirit  and  execution.  John  Ilerend  was  the  chemist,  and  to  his 
ability  much  of  the  success  of  the  pottery  is  due.  Mr.  Ilerend, 
we  understand,  has  started  a  pottery  at  Golden,  Colo.,  and  we 
may  confidently  expect  that  he  will  continue  his  previous  suc- 
cesses. 

Of  an  entirely  different  character  is  the  charming  green  mat 
glaze  pottery  of  the  Grueby  Faience  Co.,  Boston.  The  firm  was 
organized  in  1897,  and  G.  P.  Kendrick  designed  the  bulk  of  the 
shapes.  The  beautiful  softness  of  the  glaze  at  once  brought  it 
into  popularity,  and  an  added  charm  was  given  it  by  the  sim- 
plicity of  the  ornameqt  .where  any  was  employed.     The  trend  of 


nen 
ved 


fashion  has  destroyed  the  use  of  vases   for  merely  ornamental 


, 


A     POTTERY    P  R  I  M  E  R  . 


17<J 


purposes,  and  the  firm  now  bends  its  energies  to  the  production 
of  tiles  and  slabs  for  interior  decoration.  It  was  awarded  prizes 
at  Paris  in  1900  and  St.  Petersburg  in  1901. 

The  Gates  Potteries,  of  Chicago,  makes  a  mat  green  glaze 
known  as  Teco,  similar  to  the  Grueby,  and  many  pieces  of  mam- 
moth size  have  been  produced.  The  shapes  are  quaint  and  vary 
considerably  from  anything  else  on  the  market.  Some  pieces  of 
this  mat  green  had  a  sheen  of  silver,  which  suggested  the  gilding 
of  refined  gold,  for  the  beauty  of  a  mat  glaze  is  the  texture  and 
softness,  the  special  quality  that  appeals  to  the  touch. 


NEWCOMEE   POTTERY. 


Mat  glazes  are  now  very  generally  made,  and  while  they 
can  never  go  out  of  fashion,  the  generally  poor  shapes  clothed 
with  it  have  done  much  to  destroy  its  artistic  popularity.  To 
these  remarks  an  exception  must  be  made  to  the  work  of  J.  S. 
Taft  &  Co.,  Keene,  N.  H.,  their  mat  glazes  equaling  anything 
made  either  here  or  abroad. 

The  Robertsons,  of  Boston,  have  successfully  produced  saiw 
de  bocuf  and  also  an  imitation  of  the  Oriental  crackle  ware.    The 
works  were  founded  at  Chelsea  in   1868,  and  flower  pots  only 
were  made,  but  in  1872  the  works  were  enlarged  and  more  pre- 
tentious work  undertaken,  the   style  of  the   firm  being  Chelsea 


i8o 


R  O  B  I  N  E  A  U 


Keramic  Art  Works.  Imitations  of  Greek  vases  and  a  soft  glaze 
ware  decorated  with  raised  flowers  were  made,  and  a  little  later 
the  crackle  and  sang  de  boeuf  were  produced  by  Hugh  C.  Rob- 
ertson. The  plant  was  closed 
in  1888  but  reopened  in  1891 
as  the  Chelsea  Pottery  Co., 
and  was  afterward  moved  to 
Dedham,  when  the  name  was 
again  altered,  it  now  being 
known  as  the  Dedham  Pottery 
Co.  Hugh  C.  Robertson  died 
in  1908,  and  the  business  is 
now  conducted  by  his  son, 
Wm.  A.  Robertson. 

The  Sophie  Newcombe 
Memorial  College,  New  Or- 
leans, started  a  small  pottery 
(  in  1895,  ar)d  has  evolved  a 
style  as  original  as  it  is 
charming.  Like  a  beautiful 
mat  glaze,  it  never  tires  the 
eye,  though  the  effect  is  ob- 
tained by  other  means.  The 
colors  are  mostly  grays  and 
neutral  greens,  and  the  paint- 
ing being  on  the  biscuit  an 
extreme  softness,  a  restful- 
ness  to  the  eye,  and  an  air  of 
repose  results.  The  subjects 
are  taken  exclusively  from 
the  local  flora,  etc.,  and  Pro- 
fessor Woodward  may  be 
heartily  congratulated  on  the 
unequivocal  success  attained 
by  his  pupils. 

T.  A.  Brouwer,  Jr.,  West 
Hampton,  L.  I.,  produces 
some  extremely  rich  pottery, 
highly  iridescent,  which  he 
terms  "fire  painted,"  and  has 
also  successfully  applied  gold 
under  the  glaze.  This  is 
quite  effective  under  a  beau- 
tiftri  turquoise  glaze  if  used 
sparingly. 
kobineau  ware.  Mrs.      Adelaide      Alsop 


A    POTTERY    PRIMER 


181 


Robineau,  of  Syracuse,  has  within  the  last  few  years  achieved  a 
remarkable  success.  Instead  of  contenting  herself  with  an  earth- 
enware body  she  boldly  grappled  with  the  much  more  difficult 
porcelain,  and  has  happily  succeeded.     One  by  one  the  technical 


LANTERN   BY   MRS.   ROBINEAU. 


difficulties  of  body  glaze  and  color  were  overcome,  and  then  her 
fine  artistic  feeling  was  brought  into  play,  and  with  this  difficult 
material  she  has  evolved  pieces  which  are  equal  to  anything  made 
in  France,  and  of  which  America  may  be  justly  proud.  A  pierced 
Chinese  lantern  is  a  fine  example  of  patient  work  and  technical 
skill. 

Charles  Volkmar,  Metuchen,  N.  J.,  after  learning  the  pot- 
ter's art  in  France,  started  in  Brooklyn  in  1895,  ancl  a  ^tt1'e  ^atcr 
removed  to  Corona,  N.  Y.,  leaving  there  in  1902.  His  early  pro- 
ductions included  some  placques  with  American  subjects  in  deep 
blue,  and  vases,  etc.,  in  stoneware.  Fortunately  he  turned  his 
attention  to  mat  glazes,  which  he  now  seems  to  have  entirely 
under  control,  and  with  which  he  produces  some  charming  re- 
sults. Landscapes  in  mat  glazes  do  not  sound  very  attractive, 
and  yet  with  these  unwieldly  materials  he  has  produced  some 


[82 


AMERICAN    HISTORICAL    POTTERY . 


landscape  slabs  which  are  really  remarkable  for  their  atmospheric 
quality.  His  shapes  are  always  good,  and  the  manufacturing  de- 
tails carefully  executed.  He  is  assisted  by  his  son,  Leon  Volk- 
mar. 

Mrs.   Fracklcton,  of  Cincinnati;   Miss   Mary   Chase   Perry, 

Detroit ;  the  Marblehead  Pot- 
tery ;  Miss  Laura  H.  Os- 
good, Dayton,  O.,  have  all 
made  valuable  contributions 
to  American  ceramics.  It  is 
to  this  class  of  worker, 
rather  than  the  manufac- 
turer, that  the  credit  is  due 
for  removing  from  Amer- 
ican pottery  the  reproach 
that  the  industry  here  had 
one  feature  only — the  com- 
mercial one. 

It  is  by  pottery  that  the 
intelligence  and  culture  of  a 
nation  is  most  accurately  de- 
termined in  succeeding  ages, 
and  perhaps  the  efforts  of 
these  enthusiastic  craftsmen 
may  be  recognized  and  their 
work  justly  appraised  in  the 
future  even  if  it  is  some- 
what  neglected   to-day. 

A  few  words  as  to  Amer- 
ican historical  pottery  may 
be  said  here.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  the  nineteenth 
century  English  potters  issued  a  number  of  services,  printed  in  a 
rich  deep  blue  with  American  views  and  (so-called)  portraits  of 
her  statesmen,  which  from  the  large  number  that  have  survived 
must  have  had  a  very  extensive  vogue.  They  were  well  en- 
graved and  beautifully  printed  and  are  now  eagerly  sought  for 
by  collectors.  Whilst  undoubtedly  possessing  a  certain  value  the 
prices  paid  for  some  of  these  pieces  seem  absurdly  above  any 
value  they  can  ever  possibly  have.  The  best  of  these  came  from 
Ridgways,  Rogers,  Edward  Wood,  James  Clews,  Stevenson 
Stubbs,  Mayer  and  others.  A  little  later  similar  subjects  were 
printed  in  various  colors,  pink,  black,  brown,  etc.,  but  neither  in 
the  design  or  the  engraving  did  these  begin  to  compare  with  the 
dark  blue  series.  An  immense  quantity  of  prints  in  black  on  a 
cream  color  ware  came  from  Liverpool  and  are  readily  dis- 
tinguished from  the  Staffordshire  pieces.     The  great  popularity 


PLACQUE  BY  VOLKMAR. 


./     POTTERY    P  R  I  M  E  R 


183 


attained  by  these  historical  pieces  created  a  demand  our  mer- 
chants were  not  slow  to  take  advantage  of,  and  Jones,  McDuffee 
&  Stratton,  of  Boston;  the  Rowland  and  Marsellus  Co.,  New- 
York;  Wright,  Tyndale  &  van  Roden,  Philadelphia,  have  had  a 
large  number  of  subjects  produced,  sometimes  using  the  borders 
made  familiar  by  the  old  time  potters  as  well  as  a  great  num- 
ber of  new  ones.  In  time  these  subjects,  too,  will  have  a  certain 
value,  for  the  old  ones  being  exhausted  the  collector  of  the  future 
must  need  turn  to  this  more  modern  series.  In  no  case  has  there 
been  any  attempt  made  to  give  the  impression  that  these  are 
other  than  a  modern  production,  the  collector  being  protected  by 
the  name  of  the  firm  issuing  them  being  plainly  marked  on  the 
back.  The  prices  obtained  for  the  old  blue  plates  was  naturally 
an  incentive  to  the  unscrupulous  to  produce  as  near  fac  simile 
copies  as  they  could  and  a  good  many  collectors  have  been  vic- 
timized, but  they  are  easily  distinguished  as  the  deep  blue  of  the 
originals  has  never  been  successfully  reproduced. 


OXFORD  CHURCH,   PHILADELPHIA. 

Mercer. 


HONORABLE  ARTILLERY   PLATE. 

Ahrenfeldt. 


Apart  from  this  new  series  of  historical  plates,  from  time 
to  time  a  plate  has  been  considered  as  the  best  means  of  com- 
memorating some  particular  event,  and  as  only  a  limited  number 
were  issued  the  future  value  of  these  can  hardly  be  realized. 

In  1898  the  Mercer  Pottery  Co.,  Trenton,  made  a  plate 
commemorative  of  the  Bi-Centenary  of  the  Oxford  Church. 
Philadelphia.  The  visit  of  the  Honorable  Artillery  Company  of 
London  to  the  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery  Company  of 
Boston,  in  1904,  was  distinguished  by  I  souvenir  plate  issued  by 
Richard  Briggs  &  Co.,  Boston.  It  was  manufactured  by  Charles 
Ahrenfeldt,  Limoges.  Another  successful  plate  made  by  the 
Mercer  Pottery  Company  was  the  William  Penn  plate,  issued  by 


1 84 


SOUVENIR     POTTERY 


the  Pennsylvania  Society  of  New  York,  in  1901.  The  two  hun- 
dred and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  incorporation  of  Maiden, 
Mass.,  in  1899,  was  marked  by  issuing  a  plate  which  was  made 


WILLIAM    PENN    PLATE. 


MALDEN    PLATE. 


for  the  Richard  Briggs  Co.  by  Josiah  Wedgwood  &  Sons.  In 
1902  the  launching  of  the  yacht  Meteor  was  made  the  occasion 
for  yet  another  plate  executed  by  the  Onondaga  Pottery  Co., 
Syracuse. 


I 


J 


**-*♦»* 


YACHT    METEOR. 


WASHINGTON    MASONIC    PLATE 


Another  very  fine  Mercer  Pottery  Co.  plate  is  the  one  issued 
to  commemorate  the  Sesqui-Centennial  of  Washington's  Initiation 


A     POTTERY    PRIMER 


i85 
Rupp, 


as  a  Freemason,   1902.     It  was  designed  by  George  P. 
Librarian  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Pennsylvania. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  it  has  become  the  custom  to  mark  every 
event  of  importance  with  pottery  souvenirs,  souvenirs  of  all  con- 
ditions of  goodness  and  badness.  Perhaps  the  one  most  widely 
distributed  was  that  commemorative  of  the  sinking  of  the  Maine 
in  Havana  harbor,  issued  by  the  Edwin  Bennett  Pottery  Corn- 
pan},  Baltimore.    After  the  Spanish  War  the  market  was  flooded 


UNRECORDED  HEROES. 


with  pottery  with  portraits  in  decalcomania  of  the  heroes  who  par- 
ticipated in  it,  but  perhaps  the  best  one  passed  almost  unnoticed 
in  the  hero  worship  of  the  moment,  for  it  was  a  little  tribute  to 
the  unnamed,  the  unrecorded  heroes,  the  men  behind  the  guns, 
It  was  published  by  the  Baltimore  Ceramic  Company  and  the 
center  of  it  is  engraved  here  for  the  first  time. 

With  this  exception  we  are  indebted  to  "Old  China"  for  il- 
lustrations of  these  special  plates. 


i86 


THE    PHILADELPHIA    EXHIBITION. 


For  many  years  previous  to  the  Philadelphia  Exhibition  of 
1876,  printed  dinner  ware  had  been  supplanted  almost  entirely  by 
plain  white  ware  and  it  was  only  on  the  tables  of  the  well-to-do 
that  decorated  services  were  to  be  seen.  We  had  forgotten  the 
ware  of  our  grandmothers  and  were  content  to  put  up  with  the 
heavy  white  services,  the  plainness  of  which  was  only  relieved 
by  an  embossed  pattern.  J  Wit  this  exhibition  was  the  means  of 
calling  attention  to  our  backwardness  in  this  respect  and  the  re- 
proach, if  reproach  it  was,  was  removed.  There  is  no  question 
that  this  exhibition  exerted  a  more  marked  influence  for  good 
than  any  ever  held  here,  for  then,  and  then  only,  the  foreign  pot- 
ters sent  their  very  'best  and  latest  creations  and  if  in  doing  so 
some  of  their  competitors  took  advantage  of  the  display,  the 
general  result  was  for  the  good  of  all,  both  from  an  artistic  and 
commercial  standpoint. 


JERVIS    MAT    GLAZE    POTTERY. 


79 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

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